Seeing that the meat was perfectly roasted, Meng Qingshan drew a short knife from his waist and divided it evenly into two portions. He casually shaved two wooden skewers, threaded one portion onto them, and handed it to Sheng Wubing.
Sheng Wubing didn't stand on ceremony. He took the roasted meat and dug in.
He was clearly famished, and polished off the meat in just a few bites.
Meanwhile,
Meng Qingshan was no less hungry. The piece of meat would have been just enough for him alone, but after giving half to Sheng Wubing, he was only half full.
As the saying went, "Eat your fill and drink your fill." But Meng Qingshan was still hungry, and he could use a fine wine to satisfy his craving.
He untied the blue-green wine gourd from his waist and flicked open the stopper with his fingertips. Then he tipped back a mouthful of Tiger Bone Qi Boosting Wine, and a feeling of pure satisfaction welled up inside him.
He couldn't help exclaiming, "Wonderful! Nothing in this world beats eating meat by the mouthful and drinking wine by the gulp. Care for a sip?"
With that, Meng Qingshan held out the wine gourd.
"Though illness clings to him, the Sick Guest would still like to try the most satisfying things in this world!"
Sheng Wubing took the wine gourd and raised it high. A graceful arc of wine poured from its blue-green mouth.
After taking a long drink, he returned the gourd to Meng Qingshan with a steady hand, without spilling a single drop.
"Indeed, fine wine with delicious food is one of life's greatest pleasures!" Sheng Wubing lightly wiped his mouth. The coldness on his face seemed to have softened a little.
Meng Qingshan took back the wine gourd and cupped his fists. "I'm Meng Qingshan. We met by chance today at this desolate post station, and came to know each other because of this knife. It must be fate. May I ask your esteemed name?"
Sheng Wubing gave a light cough. "Young Brother Meng, there's no need to mention the Sick Guest's name. I'm merely an insignificant constable of the Seven Mysteries Sect."
Meng Qingshan said, "I've long heard that King Yun Chu cares deeply for the people. To protect their peace, he specially established the Seven Mysteries Sect to keep the lawless elements of the martial world in check. Now that I know you're one of them, big brother, I'm deeply impressed and full of admiration."
Seeing that his words seemed to have won Sheng Wubing's favor, Meng Qingshan immediately seized on the latter's form of address, "Young Brother Meng," and used it to draw closer to him.
He smoothly changed his own way of addressing Sheng Wubing from "sir" to "big brother," and began calling himself "your little brother" instead of "I." In an instant, the two seemed much closer.
"Big brother, did you come here to capture these three scoundrels?" Meng Qingshan continued.
"The Sick Guest had just returned from Pingyao City when he heard along the way that these three were running amok here and harming the common people. So he took up the posted notice and came by to bring them to justice."
"I thought as much. These three weren't worth making big brother come all this way in person!"
At this, Meng Qingshan suddenly gave a sly chuckle. "You saw me use poisonous smoke to drug those three just now, didn't you, big brother?"
Sheng Wubing nodded, his expression noncommittal.
Meng Qingshan said, "Then how could you still eat what I gave you without a second thought? Weren't you afraid I'd tampered with it?"
"The Sick Guest has been ill so long he's become a doctor. That little bit of powder in your hand couldn't drug the Sick Guest."
Meng Qingshan replied modestly, "Big brother's martial arts are extraordinary, and you're remarkably brave. Your little brother falls far short."
Sheng Wubing suddenly said, "I noticed you asking about this man's hidden weapon technique earlier. Since the Sick Guest has accepted your hospitality, and happens to know a few miscellaneous techniques from the martial world,
if you're interested, the Sick Guest is willing to teach you a few moves in exchange for the wine and meat. What do you say?"
Meng Qingshan was both surprised and delighted.
In Wulin Qixia Zhuan, Sheng Wubing was a renowned hidden-weapon expert of the Seven Mysteries Sect. Combined with his peerless lightness skills, his reputation struck fear into the hearts of every villain in the martial world, who wouldn't dare face him head-on.
Meng Qingshan couldn't have asked for a better opportunity.
He hurried to his feet and replied earnestly, "It would be my great honor to receive your guidance, big brother!"
Meng Qingshan could hardly hide his joy.
He had never expected that before he'd even gone to the Seven Mysteries Sect to turn in his quest item, simply stepping outside would lead him to Sheng Wubing, a famous constable of the sect. And it looked as though he might even get to learn a hidden-weapon technique.
Sheng Wubing gave a slight nod and flicked a wooden board with the tip of his foot.
The two wooden skewers Meng Qingshan had used to thread the meat had somehow been shot out by Sheng Wubing, pinning the board firmly to the wall.
"This pouch contains steel needles. Take a few and shoot at the board pinned to the wall. Let the Sick Guest see what your fundamentals are like."
With that, Sheng Wubing handed Meng Qingshan a pouch embroidered with an elegant lotus design.
Meng Qingshan had never studied hidden weapons.
But he had once learned archery from Uncle Kui, so he knew how to improve his aim.
Besides, he had trained his Eight Directions Palm Technique to perfection and understood the ways the human body's muscles exerted force extremely well.
Though Meng Qingshan had never systematically studied hidden-weapon techniques, he understood the fundamentals of force and accuracy. He was no novice with no foundation to speak of.
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