Searching for someone

"You?" The three scrambled to their feet. They had not suffered any real injuries; clearly, Dugu Sheng had shown them mercy.

"Get lost. I let you spout nonsense for so long, and you still don't know what's good for you? Don't let me see you again, or I'll thrash you every time I do!" Dugu Sheng sneered.

The three considered it, then left a few threats behind before fleeing the restaurant in disgrace.

"Ha ha! I thought you'd changed your nature, Young Master Dugu. Now this is your true character! Well then, I'll take my leave!" Wu Yong laughed, then went downstairs.

"Young Master Dugu, was that wise?" Huang Xiao asked with some concern.

"This is nothing. Never mind those three good-for-nothings-even their eldest senior brother, Mu Qiang, is beneath my notice." Dugu Sheng drank a cup of wine and smiled. "That's simply how the feud between Dugu Manor and the Ten Thousand Blades Sect works. If my martial prowess were inferior to theirs, I'm afraid I'd have been the one humiliated."

"That's true!" Huang Xiao nodded with a smile.

"In the martial world, strength does the talking. If your martial arts are strong, no one will bully or humiliate you," Dugu Sheng said with a smile. "I nearly forgot. You're a man of religion, Daoist Qingxiao, so you have less of the desire for fame and fortune that we worldly folk do."

"Oh, yes, Daoist Qingxiao, thank you very much for today. I still have something to attend to, so I'll be leaving first." With that, Dugu Sheng rose and bade Huang Xiao farewell.

But when he was about to settle the bill, he suddenly said awkwardly, "Daoist Qingxiao, I'm terribly sorry. I forgot to bring any silver with me today. This..."

"That's all right. I'll pay for today's meal," Qingxiao said with a smile.

Dugu Sheng cupped his fists. "Next time, it's my treat!"

After Dugu Sheng left, Huang Xiao called over the waiter to settle the bill. It came to a hundred copper coins; the tael of silver Liu Dacheng had left earlier was more than enough.

"Master, I've completed the task you assigned me." Just as Wu Yong walked out of the restaurant, his coachman, Old Yue, emerged from the doorway and spoke respectfully.

"Good. Has Chen Gui verified it?" Wu Yong asked. He had come downstairs just now because he had noticed Old Yue coming to find him. It seemed the task he had assigned was complete.

"Chen Gui has confirmed it beyond doubt!" Old Yue answered hastily.

"Good, good, good! Where is he?" Wu Yong asked, somewhat excited.

"I've already instructed our people to attend to him properly. Please rest assured, Master," Old Yue replied.

"Let's go!"

Several hours later, Wu Yong followed Old Yue to an estate outside Huaqing City.

"Do you recognize this jade thumb ring?" Wu Yong looked at the young man before him, then took out the jade thumb ring Chen Gui had given him earlier and asked.

"Of course. I pawned it a few days ago." This man was none other than Huang San. He had originally been Huang Xiao's household servant. After robbing Huang Xiao of his silver and jade thumb ring, he had spent his journey eating, drinking, and amusing himself, soon using up the few taels of silver he had. That was why he had found a pawnshop and pawned the jade thumb ring.

He had never expected to get fifty taels for the jade thumb ring. That was completely beyond his expectations; he had originally thought a few dozen taels would be good enough. Over the past few days, before he had really had a chance to enjoy that silver, he had been brought here. At first, he had thought bandits meant to kill him for his money. Yet after bringing him here, these people had attended to him well, leaving him apprehensive and uneasy, unsure what they intended to do with him.

"What is your name?" Wu Yong asked.

"My name is Huang San!" Huang San replied.

"Your surname is Huang?" Wu Yong frowned in thought, then asked again, "Does this jade thumb ring belong to you?"

"Of course it's mine. It's m-my family heirloom!" Huang San answered, his expression somewhat unnatural. Could this man know I robbed Huang Xiao? he wondered inwardly. That left him feeling guilty.

With Wu Yong's discerning eye, how could Huang San's changing expression escape his notice?

"Is that so?" Wu Yong asked mildly. "Tell me, how exactly did you get this jade thumb ring?"

"It's my family heirloom. My father passed it down to me," Huang San said hastily.

"You don't intend to tell the truth, do you?" Wu Yong stared at Huang San and asked coldly.

"I haven't told any lies," Huang San replied.

"My patience is limited!" As he spoke, Wu Yong swept his right hand over the chair beside him. Before Huang San's terrified eyes, the chair actually crumbled into powder and scattered across the floor.

"Would you like to know what martial art that was?" Wu Yong asked with a smile.

"G-great hero, spare my life!" Huang San was utterly terrified. Of course he had heard that the martial world held many experts who could soar over eaves and scale walls, their skills formidable indeed. Though he had never seen such feats, he had seen plenty of street performers shatter large rocks on their chests or split several blue bricks with a single palm strike. To him, those people were experts. But the man before him was nothing like that. Without the slightest sound or stir, the chair was gone. He could scarcely imagine it. He certainly would not believe the man before him was performing a conjuring trick for him; after all, the people who had seized him earlier clearly knew martial arts.

"Speak. Tell me the truth, and I won't treat you poorly!" Wu Yong said.

Huang San dared not conceal anything and recounted what he had done.

"Huang Xiao?" Wu Yong asked.

"Yes, I stole it from him. His parents left it to him. When I saw it was a jade thumb ring, I thought it might be worth some silver. Then, because I had no money left, I pawned it," Huang San explained.

"You said Huang Xiao's parents were sixty or seventy years old?" Wu Yong asked again.

"That's right. They had him late in life and doted on him. But there was gossip among the neighbors, too. They said Huang Xiao wasn't their biological child," Huang San said.

"And what do you think?"

"I don't think that's likely. Though Huang Xiao doesn't look much like his parents, there are plenty of children in the world who don't look much like their parents. What's there to make such a fuss about?" Huang San voiced his thoughts.

"Huang Xiao, a licentiate, sixteen years old!" Wu Yong murmured several times.

Old Yue watched Wu Yong from beside him. Though filled with curiosity, he did not dare ask.

"Old Yue, fetch that painter. Have him draw this Huang Xiao he mentioned!" After speaking, Wu Yong looked coldly at Huang San. "In a moment, I'll have you describe Huang Xiao's appearance, and the painter will draw him. If we can find Huang Xiao using the portrait, I'll reward you handsomely! Do you understand?"

"Yes, yes, yes! I'll be sure to explain everything I know to the painter in detail," Huang San said hastily.

"Do you have any other instructions, Boss?" Old Yue asked.

"Keep searching. Once the new portrait is finished, use it to find him. You must find him," Wu Yong said.

"Yes, Boss. Your old servant obeys!" With that, Old Yue led Huang San away.

"All that joy for nothing. Still, at least there's something to go on now. I only hope I won't be disappointed in the end!" Wu Yong sighed.