The Smiling, Proud Wanderer

Liu Zhengfeng wanting to see him was entirely within Wang Jingyuan's expectations. How bad could an old music-lover be? he mused. Although his methods were a bit dirty, he had ultimately helped him.

Furthermore, Wang Jingyuan had deliberately left an opening. If the Songshan Sect were to trouble him again in the future, then the second part of his story, Love Turns to Hate, would be published.

With such excellent service, how could a good-natured person like Liu Zhengfeng not repay him handsomely?

* * *

Wang Jingyuan followed the Hengshan disciples back to the Liu residence. The Liu residence had mostly been tidied up by now, with valuables and furniture packed into boxes of various sizes, piled onto carriages outside.

Upon entering the house, Wang Jingyuan was led to the backyard by Liu Zhengfeng's disciple, Xiang Danian. There was a pavilion in the backyard, where Liu Zhengfeng was currently seated. Besides him, there were two other people, an old man and a young woman, who looked like a grandfather and granddaughter. Wang Jingyuan had never seen them before based on their appearance.

However, the nameplates above their heads gave them away.

Xiang Danian brought Wang Jingyuan to the backyard and left, giving them space. Wang Jingyuan walked into the pavilion and sat down casually. "I didn't expect you guys to have this skill. This human skin mask is quite realistic."

Qu Feiyan frowned. "You can see through it?"

"I have a special way of recognizing people. Unless they're chopped into mincemeat, no one can hide from me." Wang Jingyuan suddenly understood. If someone killed his chickens now, even if they appeared before him wrapped like a mummy next time, he would probably still recognize them easily. Then he'd grab his great saber and cleave them open.

Sigh! In the end, we all become the people we hate.

While Wang Jingyuan was lost in thought, a dark object was pushed in front of him. He looked closely and saw a token carved from ebony. The front of the token was engraved with a pattern of auspicious clouds supporting a sun and moon shining together.

Wang Jingyuan picked up the token and examined it carefully. "Is this the Blackwood Token?"

Qu Yang nodded. "Indeed, this is the Blackwood Token. Even within the Holy Cult, not all elders and hall masters possess one. It's a pity I failed the Young Miss's trust. As I'm withdrawing from Jianghu, this Blackwood Token should have been returned to her, but she didn't wish to see me.

I thought about it and decided to give this token to you. Perhaps it will be of great use to you later. This token is not part of the three favors I owe you."

Wang Jingyuan tossed the token up and down, calmly remarking, "You've got it all figured out. If this thing falls into my hands, it'll mostly be used to scam the Sun Moon Holy Cult.

You're the Saintess's person; she's the opposition party. No matter how I harm the Sun Moon Holy Cult, it'll be the ruling party's headache, which benefits her.

As you're about to retire from Jianghu, you still want to help her one last time. But I don't mind telling you, my plans do involve confronting the Sun Moon Holy Cult. If I cause chaos then, I hope you won't regret your choice today."

Qu Yang glanced at Qu Feiyan. Qu Feiyan scurried into a nearby room on her short legs and then brought out a basin. Wang Jingyuan recognized the basin; it was the same one used for Liu Zhengfeng's Golden Basin Hand-Washing Ceremony.

Qu Feiyan placed the golden basin on the stone table in the pavilion. Wang Jingyuan saw that the basin was already filled with water. Qu Yang placed his hands into it and began to wash them. "I don't have many friends. I'll have you witness my Golden Basin Hand-Washing Ceremony.

I am no longer an elder of the Sun Moon Holy Cult, just an old man. The grievances and entanglements of Jianghu, its hustle and bustle, are no longer my concern.

Young Hero Wang, the three favors I owe you will only be repaid by this old man."

Wang Jingyuan understood Qu Yang's intention. The token was given before the ceremony, and whatever Wang Jingyuan did with it was his own business.

Now that Qu Yang had washed his hands, he would no longer concern himself with how Wang Jingyuan used the token, even if he played wild with it. However, he would only repay the three favors with his own efforts and would not use the Sun Moon Holy Cult's resources.

But Wang Jingyuan didn't mind. He had asked for Qu Yang's three favors precisely to deal with his future arrangements concerning Blackwood Cliff. Now, Qu Yang had directly given him the Blackwood Token, which wasn't a one-time item and could be used multiple times. Wang Jingyuan's objective had been achieved.

The three favors he had asked for earlier now seemed like a bonus.

Wang Jingyuan played with the Blackwood Token and asked the question that concerned him most. "Are all Blackwood Tokens the same? Are there any markings to prove the user's identity?"

Qu Yang smiled and nodded. "Young Hero Wang is indeed intelligent. This token does have hidden patterns. This token of mine belongs to the Young Miss. The cult members all recognize the Young Miss, so she rarely uses the token, which is why she bestowed it upon me.

Ordinary cult members only know the token's appearance. Only the Cult Master, the Grand Supervisor, and other token holders know about the hidden patterns. In most cases, this token is sufficient."

Wang Jingyuan understood. "This thing is like the Wen Family Twin Fiends' Fobol identification, isn't it? The police don't recognize it, Fobol doesn't recognize it, only those who also use fake documents can recognize it."

"What Wen Family... never mind." Qu Yang knew Wang Jingyuan often said things others didn't understand, so he didn't ask further.

Wang Jingyuan looked at Qu Yang. "I want to use two of those three favors you owe me now."

Qu Yang nodded. "Go ahead."

After Wang Jingyuan stated his needs, Qu Yang was generous.

[Qu Yang is teaching you Black Blood Divine Needle] [Learn: Yes/No] [Yes]

[Qu Yang is teaching you Art of Disguise] [Learn: Yes/No] [Yes]

These two skills, or rather crafts, not only included specific usage methods but also came with the methods for making the Black Blood Divine Needle and disguise masks. Wang Jingyuan only needed to obtain the materials later to make and use them himself.

His objective achieved, Wang Jingyuan flipped his hand, and the Blackwood Token disappeared. Liu Zhengfeng's eyes lit up at this trick. "Is this Ancient Color Magic Trick?"

Wang Jingyuan couldn't be bothered to explain and casually replied, "If you say it's a magic trick, then it is."

Liu Zhengfeng clapped his hands and laughed. "Wonderful! Wonderful! I was just wondering how to thank you earlier, and now I have an idea."

Wang Jingyuan had a guess and also started to chuckle. "Could it be the legendary...?"

"That's right, it's The Smiling, Proud Wanderer that Old Qu and I composed together."

"What?!" Wang Jingyuan's smile vanished instantly. I ran around for days for you two tone-deaf old geezers, and this is how you repay me?!