One Bluff After Another

Hearing the Wine-Nose Man's accusatory question, Ding Songyan keenly sensed something amiss:

What are you so angry about?

You shouldn't be angry...

According to his earlier deduction, the man's abnormal emotional reactions should have come from seeing someone who ought to be dead suddenly turn up alive. Anger shouldn't have been among those emotions.

Surely you couldn't kill someone, then get angry when they returned as a vengeful ghost to take revenge?

Was my guess wrong?

With that doubt in mind, Ding Songyan didn't immediately answer the Wine-Nose Man. He simply watched him in silence.

When faced with a question that was hard to answer, the first thing to do was not answer it.

At this, the Wine-Nose Man grew both angry and anxious:

"Banner Master Chen already paid you more than enough. What did you come back for?

"You could have waited a while, made sure nothing was wrong, then quietly taken your family away!"

Banner Master Chen? Who's that? Sounds like he paid me to flee far away. My predecessor really did get mixed up in something... Ding Songyan pondered for a couple of seconds, then decided to bluff him.

He gave a cold chuckle.

"If I hadn't come back, I'd already be dead without a grave."

The Wine-Nose Man blurted out:

"Why would Banner Master Chen kill you to silence you..."

His voice dwindled, his confidence fading with every word.

In the end, he couldn't go on. Putting on a fierce front to hide his unease, he changed the subject and demanded of Ding Songyan:

"If you say Banner Master Chen tried to kill you, why didn't you report it to the authorities?"

Knowing nothing about the situation, Ding Songyan deftly avoided answering. With a faint, ambiguous smile, he asked instead:

"Yes, why didn't I report it?"

The Wine-Nose Man's lips moved. Only after a long while did he say:

"You've already escaped death once. Why didn't you take the chance to flee to the ends of the earth and live under a new name? Why come back to get yourself killed?"

Oh, so you also think I'm unlikely to report it? That means whatever my predecessor got involved in couldn't bear the light of day. Neither the authorities nor the local reputable orthodox sects can be allowed to know. And Banner Master Chen really might kill someone to silence them... Hah, I didn't think of reporting it because I knew nothing about this world. I could only follow my family's advice and seek help from the Zhen Estate first. A wrong move turned out right... Ding Songyan considered for a moment, then sneered:

"I didn't have a penny to my name. Naturally, I could only come back."

The Wine-Nose Man was nearly left speechless.

"You've got hands and feet, and you can tell stories. Where couldn't you earn yourself a meal? Why did you have to come back and drag everyone down with you?

"Do you really think Banner Master Chen won't dare make another move? Can you stay under the Watchtower's scrutiny for the rest of your life?

"Oh, Second Brother Ding, how about I scrape together some more silver for you? Please leave Dingjiang Prefecture as soon as you can."

Ding Songyan thoughtfully changed the subject:

"Did you just see Banner Master Chen? What did he say?"

With something this serious, the man before him surely wouldn't dare act on his own. He must have informed Banner Master Chen at the first opportunity.

The Wine-Nose Man spoke with a hint of menace:

"Banner Master Chen already knows you're back. Why aren't you leaving?

"He sent me to see you because he thought something was off. You haven't fled, but you haven't gone to see him either. He doesn't know what you're trying to do."

So that's how it is... Ding Songyan nodded inwardly.

Having brought the conversation this far, he decided to "show his sincerity":

"Of course something's off. Someone injured my head. 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 displayed a perfectly practiced smile:

"I knew someone had tried to murder me, but I couldn't remember who. So I came to stroll around outside Dangkang Temple and see who looked uneasy."

"You-you!" The Wine-Nose Man pointed at him, shocked and furious, barely able to speak.

The timid, cowardly Second Brother Ding had actually bluffed him into revealing that something was wrong!

Still, this also perfectly explained what had puzzled him:

If Second Brother Ding had something to rely on, why hadn't he gone straight to Banner Master Chen? If he had nothing to rely on, why hadn't he fled elsewhere, instead of continuing to wander outside Dangkang Temple? His contradictory behavior had been impossible to fathom.

Having forgotten crucial events from his past, he wanted to get to the bottom of things 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 opposed to fleeing immediately. Otherwise, I'll report it to the authorities. Even if I have to let myself be flayed alive, 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 a moment's hesitation, he said:

"Fine. I'll show you why you can't stay here."

"Don't make up a story to fool me. I have my own ways of checking." Ding Songyan bluffed again, betting that the man wouldn't believe Second Brother Ding had forgotten absolutely everything about his past.

The Wine-Nose Man suppressed his anger:

"What's there to lie about? You're not some outsider. You already knew about this. Once you understand the situation, you certainly won't spread it around either. That would only cost you your life.

"A while 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 to anyone..."

"'Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas'?" Ding Songyan interrupted the Wine-Nose Man.

I know the 'Classic of Mountains and Seas,' but what's the 'Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas'?

The Wine-Nose Man glanced at Ding Songyan:

"You've forgotten even that?"

Ding Songyan shook his head, looking honest and innocent.

The Wine-Nose Man drew a breath and looked around. Only after making sure no one was passing did he lower his voice:

"All martial arts in this world either come from legacies left behind by the various Celestial Emperors and some Heavenly Gods, or from the Mythical Beasts mentioned in the 'Classic of Mountains and Seas.' Doesn't the ordinary 'Classic of Mountains and Seas' also mention how eating this or that can cure some illness, or ward off fire and calamity?

"According to the 'Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas,' eating many Mythical Beasts lets you gain their traits and supernatural powers, and become a god or immortal. Though after Emperor Zhuanxu brought about the severance of heaven and earth, something about the Dao diminishing daily, the Mythical Beasts grew weaker and rarer too. But if you really encounter one and eat it, you can still ascend to heaven in a single step and become a Martial Grandmaster.

"Didn't Feng Yining of the Five Saints Sect become a Martial Grandmaster as soon as she entered the martial world because she swallowed a Phoenix egg? And the Five Saints Sect happens to have a Phoenix legacy. They really complement each other to... whatever the saying is.

"I'm getting sidetracked. In short, after Emperor Zhuanxu severed heaven and earth, Mythical Beasts gradually vanished. But the people of old who had eaten them created and left behind cultivation methods and all sorts of martial techniques based on the changes to their bodies and the traits and supernatural powers they gained. That's where most sects today came from, including the unorthodox ones.

"The 'Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas' was supposedly copied through successive hands from the 'Emperor-Annotated Classic of Mountains and Seas' left by the Celestial Emperor. The latter vanished long ago along with Kunlun and can no longer be found. But the former also records the specific traits of different Mythical Beasts, and even contains corresponding annotations for the legacies of the Celestial Emperors and Heavenly Gods. Doesn't that lay bare 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 divine arts would be common knowledge. For ants like us, that's no use. But in the hands of someone with an agenda, it would let them prepare countermeasures in advance.

"Even taking a huge step back, supposing the annotations on those traits have nothing to do with martial conflict and really are useless for that, having the 'Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas' would still let you know what you could and couldn't eat if you encountered a divine creature someday, and what eating it would do. You wouldn't have to hand the Great Sects a windfall for nothing."

"Ever since Youqiong replaced Xia, the various sects have destroyed copies of the 'Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas,' keeping only portions hidden for themselves. If anyone gets hold of the 'Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas' without being a disciple of one of the Great Sects, they'll be hunted down. They're certain to die. Second Brother Ding, why aren't you running?"

So that's how martial arts evolved in this world. Most began with eating Mythical Beasts. No wonder Qingyan said that when you practiced martial arts to an advanced level, your body would display certain unusual changes. You're drawing closer to the corresponding Mythical Beast... I remember there being a Nine-Tailed Fox in the 'Classic of Mountains and Seas.' Is that where the fox tails Qingyan mentioned come from? Ding Songyan felt an inexplicable sense of sudden understanding.

Puzzled, he asked:

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

Youqiong replacing Xia must have happened thousands of years ago. Today, apart from the portions secretly held by the major sects and the Imperial Secret Vaults, how could a copy of the 'Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas' suddenly turn up elsewhere? And in the hands of my predecessor, an entirely ordinary storyteller, at that.

Surely Ding Songyan hadn't dug it out of some ancient tomb?

Was there a "partner"?

Was it the "partner" who killed my predecessor, rather than Banner Master Chen?

The Wine-Nose Man glared at Ding Songyan:

"How would I know?

"You kept your mouth so tightly shut that no matter how we asked, you wouldn't reveal where the 'Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas' came from. Banner Master Chen could only tell you to leave Dingjiang Prefecture so the news wouldn't 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 baffled:

"Banner Master Chen said it was genuine, and complete.

"You wouldn't have had the guts to deceive him, would you? And who would make something like that up?"

You underestimate swindlers far too much... Still, Banner Master Chen seems able to tell whether the 'Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas' is genuine. He doesn't sound like a disciple of one of the Great Sects either. Otherwise, he wouldn't need to hide it or worry enough to send my predecessor far away... Ding Songyan asked instead:

"Who exactly is Banner Master Chen?"

Seeing someone pass the mouth of the alley, the Wine-Nose Man quickened his speech:

"Banner Master Chen's name is Chen Yuliang. He's the Small Boat Gang's banner master in Dingjiang Prefecture. His assessed rank is 'Probing Mystery.' Nine, eight, seven... in the terms ordinary folk like us use, that's fifth rank.

"Our Small Boat Gang is a fairly well-known gang here in Ning Prefecture. Right now, we're fighting the Four Waters Gang over some stretches of river."

The Four Waters Gang? The Zhen Family's old patriarch is its supreme elder, a Martial Grandmaster of great renown... This really does connect to the Zhen Family... Even as Ding Songyan felt he had roughly pieced together what had happened, he seemed to catch the scent of something elusive and tangled.

Could my predecessor getting the 'Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas' have been one part of a larger scheme?

"I see..." Ding Songyan put on a look of relief. "Then I really shouldn't stay in Dingjiang Prefecture. Go to Banner Master Chen and ask him to give me some more silver. I'll find my own opportunity to leave. Until then, I'll stay out in the open. I doubt he'd dare make a move under the Watchtower's gaze."

The Wine-Nose Man visibly relaxed:

"Good, good, good. We can work everything out!"

After a few more reminders, he turned and headed toward the mouth of the alley.

Watching his retreating back, Ding Songyan kept analyzing and thinking:

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

Would Chen Yuliang really take no precautions? I've been acting so strangely...

If I were him, what would I do, based on what I know now?

Right, I certainly wouldn't stay at home waiting for my subordinate's report. He might bring a whole heap of trouble back with him.

Either I'd hide and secretly watch my returning subordinate, then decide whether to step in and resolve things or simply abandon the Small Boat Gang's foothold in Dingjiang Prefecture and flee elsewhere;

Or I'd follow behind my subordinate and listen in unseen, then react immediately once I knew the details.

Right now, if Mr. Yu has followed him to the Small Boat Gang, wouldn't I be in danger, left here alone?

Killing someone in broad daylight is difficult, but there might still be ways to do something else!

At that thought, Ding Songyan jolted with alarm and immediately spoke:

"Wait."

"Hmm?" The Wine-Nose Man half turned, questioning him with a puzzled look.

Ding Songyan smiled faintly and asked in the easy tone of idle conversation:

"Tell me, where do you think Banner Master Chen is right now?"