Deceived Again and Again

Hearing the wine-nose man's questioning from across the way, Ding Songyan keenly sensed that something was off:

What were you angry about?

There shouldn't have been any anger...

According to his earlier guess, the man should have been seeing someone who ought to have died suddenly appear alive again, which was why his emotions had changed so abnormally. Anger shouldn't have been among them.

It couldn't be that after killing someone, he was angry that the other person had returned as a vengeful ghost, right?

Was my guess wrong?

With that suspicion, Ding Songyan did not immediately answer the wine-nose man's words. He silently watched him.

When faced with a question that was hard to answer, it was best not to answer for the moment.

Seeing this, the wine-nose man grew both angry and anxious:

"Banner Master Chen offered you enough money. Why did you come back?

"You could have waited a while, confirmed that everything was fine, and then quietly taken your family away!"

Banner Master Chen? Who was that? It sounded like someone had paid me to disappear. What exactly had my predecessor gotten mixed up in...? Ding Songyan pondered for two breaths, then decided to fish for information.

He let out a cold laugh.

"If I hadn't come back, I would have died without even a grave."

The wine-nose man blurted out:

"How could Banner Master Chen kill you? Silence—"

His voice gradually weakened, and he sounded less and less confident.

In the end, he could not continue. Putting on a brave front while feeling guilty, he changed the subject and questioned Ding Songyan:

"You say Banner Master Chen harmed you. Why didn't you report it to the authorities?"

Knowing nothing about the situation, Ding Songyan skillfully avoided answering. With a half-smile, he asked in return:

"That's right. Why didn't I report it?"

The wine-nose man's lips moved soundlessly. After a while, he said:

"You already escaped with your life. Why didn't you take the chance to flee to the ends of the earth and live under an assumed name? Why come back looking for death?"

Oh, you also think it's unlikely that I'd report it? In other words, what my predecessor got involved in couldn't be brought into the open. The authorities and the local orthodox sects couldn't know about it, and Banner Master Chen really might have killed him to silence him... Ah, I hadn't thought of reporting it because I didn't understand this world. I could only follow my family's advice and seek help from the Zhen Family first. A wrong step had led to the right place... Ding Songyan considered this, then sneered:

"I'm penniless. Naturally, I could only come back."

The wine-nose man was nearly rendered speechless.

"You have hands and feet, and you can tell stories. Anywhere you went, you could find a meal. Why did you have to come back and drag everyone into the water?

"Do you really think Banner Master Chen wouldn't dare act again? Do you plan to stay under the Watchtower's surveillance for the rest of your life?

"Good grief, Second Brother Ding. How about I scrape together some more silver for you? Hurry up and leave Dingjiang Prefecture."

Ding Songyan changed the subject thoughtfully.

"You've seen Banner Master Chen just now? What did he say?"

For something this serious, the man before him certainly would not dare make his own decision. He must have informed Banner Master Chen at the first opportunity.

The wine-nose man said with a hint of intimidation:

"Banner Master Chen already knows you're back. Why haven't you left yet?

"He sent me to meet you because he thinks something is off. You neither fled far away nor went to look for him, so he doesn't know what you're trying to do."

So that was it... Ding Songyan nodded inwardly.

After communicating this far, he intended to "show sincerity."

"Of course something's wrong. Someone injured my head, and I don't remember anything."

As he spoke, he touched the side of his head.

"You don't remember anything..." The wine-nose man froze. "Then you..."

Ding Songyan revealed an exceptionally standard smile.

"I know I was plotted against, but I can't remember who did it. I had no choice but to stroll around outside Dangkang Temple and see who would grow uneasy."

"You—you!" The wine-nose man pointed at him, shocked and furious, unable to form a coherent sentence.

He had actually been tricked into revealing something unusual by the timid and cowardly Second Brother Ding!

Yet this perfectly explained the doubts in his own mind.

If Second Brother Ding truly had something to rely on, he had not gone straight to Banner Master Chen's door. If he had nothing to rely on, he would have fled to another place instead of idling outside Dangkang Temple. His contradictory behavior left people utterly baffled.

Forgetting something crucial from the past, wanting to understand the whole affair, and eliminate the hidden danger—that was the only reasonable explanation at present.

Ding Songyan seized the opportunity to "persuade" him.

"Tell me exactly what happened.

"If it really is dangerous, I'm not incapable of fleeing immediately. Otherwise, I'll report it to the authorities. Even if it means being hacked to pieces, I'll drag you and Banner Master Chen down with me!"

The wine-nose man studied Ding Songyan's face carefully for a while. After hesitating briefly, he said:

"Fine. I'll let you know that this place cannot keep you for long."

"Don't make up a story to deceive me. I have my own ways of verifying it." Ding Songyan fished once more, betting that the man would not believe Second Brother Ding had forgotten every detail of his past.

The wine-nose man suppressed his anger.

"What would I have to deceive you about? You're not an outsider. You already knew about this matter. Once you understand the situation, you certainly won't spread it around. That would only cost you your life.

"A few days ago, you came to me and said you had a copy of the 'Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas' to sell. Banner Master Chen was very interested. He gave you a large sum of silver and told you not to stay in Dingjiang Prefecture or mention this matter to anyone..."

"'Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas'?" Ding Songyan interrupted him.

I know the Classic of Mountains and Seas. What was the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas?

The wine-nose man glanced at Ding Songyan.

"You don't even remember this?"

Ding Songyan honestly and innocently shook his head.

The wine-nose man inhaled, looked around, and only after seeing that no pedestrians were passing by did he lower his voice.

"All martial arts in this world either came from the inheritances left behind by the various Heavenly Emperors and certain heavenly gods, or were derived from the divine monsters and strange beasts mentioned in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. Doesn't the ordinary Classic of Mountains and Seas also mention that eating this or that can cure this or that illness, or that eating something can let you ward off fire and calamity?

"According to the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas, after eating many divine monsters and strange beasts, one can obtain their traits and supernatural abilities, and become a god or immortal. Although after Emperor Zhuanxu severed the link between Heaven and Earth, the Dao and everything else gradually declined, and the divine monsters and strange beasts grew weaker and fewer, if one truly encountered one and ate it, one could still rise to the heavens in a single bound and become a grandmaster.

"Wasn't Feng Yining of the Five Saints Sect a grandmaster the moment she first entered the martial world because she swallowed a phoenix egg? Their Five Saints Sect happened to inherit the phoenix lineage as well. It truly was a case of one thing setting off the splendor of another.

"But I'm getting off track. In short, after Emperor Zhuanxu severed the link between Heaven and Earth, the divine monsters and strange beasts gradually vanished. However, based on the changes in their bodies and the traits and supernatural abilities they acquired from eating them, the people of old created and passed down cultivation methods and all kinds of martial techniques. That was the origin of most sects today, including the heretical paths.

"The Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas was said to have been copied through many hands from the Emperor-Annotated Classic of Mountains and Seas left behind by a Heavenly Emperor. The latter, along with Kunlun, had long since vanished and could no longer be found. The former likewise recorded the specific traits of various divine monsters and strange beasts, and even contained corresponding annotations on the inheritances of the Heavenly Emperors and heavenly gods. Wouldn't that expose the foundations of all the great sects?

"If everyone had a copy of the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas, the fundamental mysteries of their supreme arts would be known to all. It wouldn't be of much use to ants like us, but in the hands of someone with ulterior motives, it would allow them to prepare counters in advance.

"Taking a step back, even if the annotations on the traits had nothing to do with martial competition and were truly useless in that regard, possessing the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas would let you know which divine treasures could be eaten and which could not when you encountered them in the future, as well as what would happen after eating them. At the very least, you wouldn't let the great sects profit for nothing.

"Ever since the fall of the Xia under Youqiong, the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas had been destroyed by every sect and school. Only some privately kept portions remained. If anyone obtained a copy of the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas without being a disciple of a great sect, they would certainly be hunted down and certainly die. Second Brother Ding, why haven't you fled yet?"

So that was how martial arts in this world had evolved. Most of it had begun with eating divine monsters and strange beasts. No wonder Qingyan had said that when martial arts were cultivated to a profound level, certain abnormalities would appear on the body. It was because one was drawing closer to the corresponding divine monster or strange beast... I remember that the Classic of Mountains and Seas had a nine-tailed fox. Did the fox tail Qingyan mentioned come from that? Ding Songyan suddenly felt as if a fog had lifted from his mind.

He asked in confusion:

"Where did I get the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas?"

The fall of Youqiong beneath the Xia had probably happened thousands of years ago. Even now, apart from the major sects, the imperial secret treasury also privately kept some copies of the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas. How could one suddenly appear in the outside world? And in the hands of an ordinary storyteller like his predecessor?

It couldn't be that Ding Songyan had dug it out of some ancient tomb, could it?

A "partner"?

The person who killed his predecessor was not Banner Master Chen, but a "partner"?

The wine-nose man glared at Ding Songyan.

"How would I know?

"You kept your mouth so tight that no matter how I asked, you wouldn't reveal where the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas came from. Banner Master Chen had no choice but to make you leave Dingjiang Prefecture, lest the news leak."

"Are you sure that copy of the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas was genuine?" Ding Songyan asked thoughtfully.

The wine-nose man looked utterly bewildered.

"Banner Master Chen said it was genuine. Complete, too.

"You didn't have the nerve to deceive him, did you? And who would bother fabricating this thing?"

You're underestimating con artists... Still, Banner Master Chen seemed able to identify whether the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas was genuine. He also did not sound like a disciple of a great sect. Otherwise, he would not have needed to keep it hidden or worry about sending my predecessor away... Ding Songyan changed tack and asked:

"Who exactly is Banner Master Chen?"

Seeing someone pass by the mouth of the alley, the wine-nose man sped up.

"Banner Master Chen is called Chen Yuliang. He's the banner master of the Small Boat Gang in Dingjiang Prefecture. His rank is 'Investigating the Profound,' nine, eight, seven... In common folk terms, he's a fifth-grade expert.

"Our Small Boat Gang is a fairly famous gang within Ning Prefecture. Right now, we're fighting the Four Waters Gang over control of some river sections."

The Four Waters Gang? The Zhen Family's old master was the Four Waters Gang's Supreme Elder, a renowned grandmaster... This really was connected to the Zhen Family... Ding Songyan felt that he had mostly understood what had happened, yet at the same time, he seemed to catch the scent of something even more bewildering.

Could his predecessor's acquisition of the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas have been one link in a larger plot?

"I see..." Ding Songyan put on a look of relief. "Then I really shouldn't stay in Dingjiang Prefecture for long. Go find Banner Master Chen and ask him to give me some more silver. I'll find a chance to leave on my own. Until then, I'll stay outside. I doubt he'll dare act under the Watchtower's watch."

The wine-nose man visibly relaxed.

"Good, good, good. Everything can be discussed!"

He gave a few more instructions, then turned and walked toward the mouth of the alley.

Ding Songyan watched his back and continuously analyzed and pondered.

Mr. Yu should be able to tail this fellow and find Chen Yuliang...

Would Chen Yuliang really have no defenses? I've been acting so strangely...

If I were him, given what I know now, what would I do?

Well, I certainly wouldn't stay at home waiting for my subordinate's report. There was a good chance a huge mess would be brought back with him.

Either I'd hide and secretly observe my returning subordinate, then decide according to the situation whether to show myself and resolve it or abandon the Small Boat Gang's foundation in Dingjiang Prefecture and flee elsewhere;

Or I'd follow behind my subordinate and eavesdrop from concealment, then respond the instant I had the specific details.

At this moment, if Mr. Yu had followed him to the Small Boat Gang, wouldn't I, left here alone, be in great danger?

Killing someone in broad daylight was difficult, but perhaps there were still ways to do something else!

At that thought, Ding Songyan suddenly shuddered and called out:

"Wait."

"Hm?" The wine-nose man turned halfway around and asked in confusion.

Ding Songyan revealed the faintest smile. His tone was relaxed, as though making idle conversation.

"Where do you think Banner Master Chen is right now?"