The Pavilion Master

The shopkeeper asked with a grave expression, "How did this pocket watch of yours get broken?"

"I angered a noble, and it was smashed."

"Why did you anger a noble?"

"I saw too many things I shouldn't have!" Chen Wu replied.

"Good, come with me!"

The shopkeeper beckoned to Chen Wu, and Chen Wu followed him all the way to the third floor.

Closing the door behind them, the shopkeeper smiled. "I am an informant for the headquarters of the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower. My surname is Liu; just call me Old Liu. Which tower are you from?"

"The River-Viewing Tower in Gan Province!"

"Gan Province?" Upon hearing this, a look of astonishment appeared on Old Liu's square face. "Could it be... that you are Chen Wu?"

"It is I."

Hearing this, Old Liu hurriedly stepped forward to grab Chen Wu's hand, looking him up and down.

"Truly, a hero emerges from the youth!"

Huh—has my reputation already spread this far?

"Headquarters receives news quite quickly!"

"See for yourself!" The shopkeeper pointed, and there, resting steadily on a square table, was a newspaper.

Chen Wu reached out and picked it up. The words Yanhe Daily were printed on it, and the front page prominently featured an abstract wanted poster sketch of Chen Wu. Below it, it was written in neat columns that Chen Wu was a heinous criminal who had successively murdered Qiao Weisheng, Yang Yuchun, and Li Changgeng, making him a villain of the highest order.

Chen Wu remembered that when the wanted notice was issued after Qiao Weisheng's death, the bounty on his head had only been two hundred silver dollars. This time, the bounty had soared to one thousand.

The rate of this inflation was much faster than the rate of his own martial arts progress.

"A few days ago, every newspaper in Shaan Province published this wanted notice," Old Liu said. "In a few more days, I fear every newspaper in the world will have to print it before they are satisfied."

"This time, you are truly going to be famous throughout the world!"

Chen Wu, however, thought of Old Jin and looked dejected. "It was bought with Old Jin's life."

"Sigh, Jin Shiyi was a pity," Old Liu comforted him. "Fortunately, you have already avenged him. We of the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower live by the blade; we must learn to be more open-minded about life and death."

"Mm."

"You settle in here for now. As for Gan Province, there are already people heading there to rebuild the River-Viewing Tower."

"Understood! Where is the Tower Master? I wish to see the Tower Master."

"No rush," Old Liu said. "You've had a hard journey, so rest first. When the time comes, the Tower Master will naturally come to see you."

"Am I to stay here?"

"There are too many eyes and ears here; your current situation makes this place unsuitable," Old Liu said. "I will find you a quiet place."

It was indeed a quiet place.

Old Liu had actually arranged for Chen Wu to stay at a Buddhist temple. This temple was located on Jialing Mountain in Yan'an Prefecture and was known as Lingshan Temple; it was most famous for the nine-story brick pagoda within its grounds.

To get Chen Wu into the temple, Old Liu had even paid a sum of incense money to the temple's guest monk.

He simply claimed that Chen Wu was a distant relative who had failed the imperial examinations and had come to Yan'an Prefecture to clear his mind and admire the ancient Lingshan Temple to experience the wonders of a Buddhist sanctuary.

Whether it was Old Liu's silver-tongued persuasion or the effectiveness of the incense money, the guest monk arranged a top-tier meditation room for Chen Wu, telling him to rest well. Had Chen Wu not politely declined, the monk would have even volunteered to personally guide him on a tour of Lingshan Temple.

Chen Wu entered the room and set down his luggage. Seeing that the day was still early, he took out his sword, summoned his Concentrated Spirit, and began to temper it according to the method Xu Songnian had taught him.

He did not know how much time had passed, but Chen Wu suddenly felt a wave of hunger in his stomach.

He withdrew his Concentrated Spirit, stopped the secret technique, and prepared to push open the door to find something to eat; he wondered if the vegetarian fare at Lingshan Temple was palatable.

Creak—

As the door pushed open, Chen Wu's entire body went on high alert, and his Concentrated Spirit erupted once more.

On the steps in front of the door sat a person, their back to Chen Wu, seemingly busy with something.

With Chen Wu's keen five senses and the fluctuations of his Concentrated Spirit, he hadn't even noticed when this person had arrived; there was definitely something strange about them.

"You're out!" The person didn't turn around, but patted the empty space beside them. "Sit here."

Chen Wu had a guess in his heart, so he walked over and sat down beside the person.

Only when Chen Wu got close did he notice a small brazier placed in front of the man, with an iron rack supported over it. A freshly cleaned fish in his hand was placed onto the rack.

"You've come just in time; give me a hand and grill this."

The man was unceremonious, letting Chen Wu watch the grilled fish on the rack while he pulled another fish from a clay pot, gutting and cleaning it.

Chen Wu could not suppress his curiosity; he looked left and right, and finally recognized him.

"Aren't you—"

It was the watch repairman he had seen at the Clock and Watch Shop earlier today.

"I am Wang Jiuyuan."

Wang Jiuyuan's small knife danced in his hands; in an instant, the fish was gutted, scaled, salted, and placed upon the iron rack.

Chen Wu immediately raised his hand to offer a formal salute, but Wang Jiuyuan reached out and pressed it down.

"Did Old Jin not teach you? We of the Yongjiu School do not stand on ceremony. Although he has already passed, I must say, he failed to teach you well in this regard!"

"The Master is mistaken; Old Jin did teach me, I simply forgot." Chen Wu recalled his first meeting with Old Jin and immediately retorted.

"Then that is your fault!" Wang Jiuyuan said. "Do not call me Master, just call me Old Wang."

"Yes, Old... Wang!"

Old Jin, Old Ma, and Old Liu were easy enough to address, but "Old Wang" always reminded Chen Wu of a certain nickname for men with a penchant for married women, making it feel awkward to say.

"That's it!" A smile spread across Old Wang's face as he flipped the fish on the rack and began preparing the third one.

"Old Wang, this is a place of Buddhist purity. Is it really appropriate for us to be eating meat here?"

"Purity, my foot!" Old Wang looked disdainful. "Ever since the founding of Great Shun, Yan'an Prefecture has produced too many nobles. Lingshan Temple has not only received repeated imperial favors and grants, but the various nobles have also showered it with alms, making it rich beyond measure. The monks are terrible at chanting scriptures, but they are quite adept at business and moneylending."

"Just two days ago, the Old Abbot died, and the Yanhe Daily exposed that he had kept several mistresses outside and fathered three sons, leaving Lingshan Temple utterly disgraced. The matter of appointing a new abbot has been dragged out ever since, and there is still no candidate."

Old Wang finished preparing the third fish and placed it on the grill.

"Us eating two fish is hardly a matter of any consequence."

Hearing this, Chen Wu asked no more and focused his attention on grilling the fish.

Before long, the fish began to sizzle, and a fragrant aroma rose into the air. Chen Wu was already hungry, and he couldn't help but swallow his saliva.

"Eat, eat, eat—"

Old Wang used his small knife to spear a fish and handed it to Chen Wu, then took out another knife to spear the second fish and popped it into his own mouth.

"Delicious!" Chen Wu took a bite and couldn't stop praising it.

"The carp in the Yan River are naturally succulent. I used my Spiral Qi Force to vibrate the texture of the meat, making it even softer and more palatable." Old Wang shared his grilling expertise, looking quite proud.

"Did you catch these yourself?" Chen Wu asked.

"I went fishing for an hour this afternoon, but not a single one took the bait. I was so frustrated that I used my Concentrated Spirit Realm to scan the water and used my swordsmanship to catch these three."

Chen Wu was left speechless.