It Was Him?

"Brother Shen, wait for me a moment." As they passed through a narrow alley, Yu Meng suddenly stopped and turned to Shen Luo.

"Go ahead, Brother Yu," Shen Luo said.

Yu Meng quickly entered the alley, and his figure soon vanished within it.

Shen Luo stopped to survey the surroundings. Recalling everything he had seen earlier, he silently considered how he should broach certain questions once they arrived at Yu Meng's home.

"Big brother, please, could you give me something to eat? I haven't eaten anything for two days." Shen Luo was deep in thought when a clear young voice came from nearby.

Shen Luo turned toward the sound and saw a little girl of seven or eight standing timidly not far away.

The girl wore a filthy coarse-cloth tunic covered in patches. It was far too large for her, leaving her arms and calves exposed. She held a broken bowl in both hands and looked over with longing in her eyes.

"I don't have any food on me, nor do I have any silver..." The sight of the little girl softened Shen Luo's heart. He reached into his pocket and rummaged around twice, showing that he possessed nothing of value.

"Brother Shen, what's wrong?" Yu Meng's voice came from the alley as he hurried out.

Two black longswords now hung from his waist. Their backs were much narrower than the horse-chopping saber he had used before, but their blades were somewhat longer. They were tucked diagonally behind his lower back, while something bulky filled his arms.

The moment the little girl saw Yu Meng, especially the weapons at his waist, panic appeared on her small face. She hurriedly turned and fled.

"Alas, these are miserable times, and the common folk suffer... Let's go." Seeing this, Yu Meng sighed.

Shen Luo watched the thin, frail figure flee in panic, and his chest tightened as well. He could not quite describe what he felt.

The two continued onward and soon left the streets.

More trees appeared along the roadside ahead, while the road itself narrowed. Residential compounds began appearing on both sides.

There were even fewer pedestrians here. Every household had its doors shut tight, and the road had apparently not been cleaned for a long time. Fallen leaves carpeted the ground, tumbling in the wind.

Before long, Shen Luo followed Yu Meng to a towering residence. The plaque above its main gate bore the words "Yu Residence."

The residence faced south from the north. Its main gate was broad enough for four or five people to walk abreast, and the double doors had once been coated in gold paint. Though most of it had peeled away, they still exuded an imposing grandeur. A pair of red-painted stone lions, each a full twenty feet tall, stood at the entrance. Compared to the neighboring homes, the place stood head and shoulders above the rest.

"Brother Yu, so you come from a wealthy family," Shen Luo said with a faint smile.

"It was all my father's doing. Now demons run rampant beneath heaven and the world is in chaos. What use is this outward splendor?"

As Yu Meng spoke, he was about to step forward and push open the gates when footsteps sounded nearby. The three retainers were hurrying over.

Yu Meng withdrew his hand and went to meet them.

"Young Master, we have already sent Tian Chong home. The compensation silver was delivered as well," said a dark-skinned retainer with cupped hands.

"Good. You have all worked hard. Go home and rest first." A trace of sorrow flashed through Yu Meng's eyes as he nodded.

The three retainers answered. They gave Shen Luo a slight nod in greeting, then each turned and headed home.

"Brother Shen, I'll be gone for a moment. I'll be right back," Yu Meng said to Shen Luo after the others had left, hesitating briefly.

"If you have business to attend to, Brother Yu, please go ahead." Shen Luo knew Yu Meng wanted to visit Tian Chong's home, so naturally he did not stop him.

Yu Meng cupped his hands, then quickly departed in the direction from which the retainers had come earlier.

Shen Luo watched Yu Meng disappear into the distance and quietly sighed. He waited outside Yu Residence, observing the surroundings to pass the time.

A short while later, Yu Meng hurried back from ahead, his eyes slightly red.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting, Brother Shen. Come, follow me inside." He spoke apologetically.

With that, he stepped forward and knocked on the gates.

"Young Master, you're back."

The heavy gates creaked open, and a chubby boy of fifteen or sixteen came forward with a beaming smile. Yet when he saw Shen Luo behind Yu Meng, surprise flashed through his lively eyes. Sensible enough not to ask questions, he kept silent.

"Has Father returned?" Yu Meng had already regained his composure as he asked.

"Master has returned. He is in the inner room," the chubby boy replied, shifting his gaze back.

"This is Brother Shen Luo, whom I just met. Xiao Shunzi, go tidy up that side room first." Yu Meng instructed the chubby boy, then led Shen Luo through the gates toward the inner courtyard.

This residence was a three-courtyard compound, with a rigorous layout, soaring eaves, raised ridges, and high walls. It was quite magnificent.

What surprised Shen Luo, however, was that such a vast residence did not have a single servant. It seemed rather deserted. Since entering, he had seen only Xiao Shunzi.

His own family residence in Chunhua County was no less impressive than Yu Residence, yet it had quite a few servants and maids bustling about.

After passing through two courtyards, the pair arrived at a spacious main hall. The floor was paved with large slabs of dark green stone, smooth as a mirror and hard as iron. The tables and chairs were all made of deep purple rosewood, while antique ornaments lined the walls on either side. The furnishings were quite luxurious.

Yet at the very back of the hall, before a carved relief screen, stood a tall statue. It was neither one of the Three Pure Ones, the Six Imperial Gods, nor the Five Elders of the Five Directions, but a middle-aged scholar holding a brush. Three long strands of beard hung to his chest, giving him an elegant, scholarly air.

Before the statue stood an altar table piled with incense, candles, offerings, and other such items. Incense smoke curled through the air.

The statue and altar table clashed sharply with the hall's lavish furnishings. The whole arrangement looked incongruous, even somewhat comical.

Seeing the hall's decor, Shen Luo could not help revealing a strange expression.

His own family was considered wealthy merchants within the county, and he knew that affluent people cared deeply about appearances and prestige. Every detail in a main reception hall had to be meticulously arranged. How could anyone create such a scene?

"Please don't laugh at us, Brother Shen. My father is a man who cultivates the Dao, and he does things as he pleases, so the household arrangement is somewhat chaotic." Seeing Shen Luo's expression, Yu Meng explained with a smile. Clearly, Shen Luo was not the first person to find the layout strange.

"Not at all. Uncle Yu acts without being bound by convention; that is the bearing of a true master. Is he free at the moment? I would like to pay him a visit." Shen Luo smiled. He had become somewhat interested in the man who had turned the main hall into a Daoist temple.

"Actually, you already met him just now." Yu Meng blinked and said mysteriously.

Shen Luo froze, about to ask further.

"Meng'er, you little bastard! Where the hell have you been fooling around? You came back this late and made me wait half the day! Did you buy the things I told you to buy?" A somewhat aged voice rang out from outside. Along with it, a short, plump figure walked in.

Shen Luo turned toward the voice. When he saw the newcomer's face clearly, his eyes widened.

It was him?

The newcomer was none other than the short, plump old man in golden silk robes among the immortal masters atop the city wall—the very man who had intervened to save Yu Meng.

The old man held a vermilion wine gourd in his hand. His face was flushed, his gaze unfocused, and he was already three or four parts drunk. He looked just like an ordinary old drunkard. Where was the lofty bearing of an immortal master he had displayed atop the city wall?