Volume 2 Chapter 12: Quietly Hiding and Hard to Leave
Tang Zimu sighed, moved to the side of the pavilion, caught some raindrops from the eaves with his hands, and said, "You can't say that. I am not a heartless person. Now I can add one more clause to the deal with you. Although I cannot reveal my true identity, I am hiding in the Beggars' Sect to seek refuge. I can guarantee that I will not harm the Beggars' Sect. Master Lin, what do you think?"
Lin Jianlan saw that he knew that she was worried that his intentions towards the Beggars' Sect were unclear, but she did not expect him to promise so easily, so she was a little skeptical.
Seeing his expression, Tang Zimu said, "Master Lin, do you know who is the statue in the temple of the headquarters? The statue is of Wu Zixu from the Spring and Autumn Period, who has always been regarded as the ancestor of the Beggars' Sect. When he was down and out, he wandered around Wu State, begging on the street by playing the flute. He once said, 'Wealth and poverty are not up to us.' I feel the same way at this moment. However, he eventually helped Ji Guang achieve his hegemony, while I am still in the Beggars' Sect, lamenting in vain that time has passed and cannot be turned back, and I have accomplished nothing and my temples are gray."
Seeing that he also had his own difficulties, Lin Jianlan looked back and saw that the rain was still falling outside the pavilion. He knew that he could only investigate the Beggars' Sect for now. He was overwhelmed with emotions, and he felt indescribable grief, loneliness, and self-blame. He whispered, "In that case, I will leave. Little Xia is so young, I hope you will not hate him for revealing what happened that night and treat him well."
Tang Zimu had a complicated expression, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Mr. Lin, all great people in the world need to be patient in order to succeed. Throwing away one's life for a quarrel of will can only make people feel pity, and I really cannot agree with it. I am not afraid that the words of a three-foot-tall child can stir up a huge wave in the Beggars' Sect. I just appreciate that Mr. Lin has such talent and insight at such a young age, so I signed a contract with you. Why do you blame yourself for others' misfortune?"
Lin Jianlan smiled bitterly and said softly, "Brother Tang doesn't understand." Then he walked into the rain. Tang Zimu quickly chased him out of the pavilion and shouted, "Aren't you going to see the young hero again?"
Seeing that Lin Jianlan did not look back in the heavy rain, he just waved his hand, walked farther and farther away, and gradually disappeared in the heavy rain.
In Tongfu Inn, Yue Lingfeng paced back and forth anxiously. Fang Zheng also sat beside the bed. It was the first time he saw Yue Lingfeng so at a loss. He said, "Master Yue, please don't be anxious. Sit down and calm down. Why hasn't the young master come back yet?"
Yue Lingfeng said: "I'm not in a hurry. I think it was because of the heavy rain that we were delayed."
Fang Zheng saw that he was obviously more worried about Lin Jianlan than he was, but he was stubborn. He couldn't help but smile and said, "Don't you and I know the character of the young master? He also said that if he is not completely sure, he will not try to do it on his own, and will definitely consult us. Besides, the young master's martial arts are now quite mature. Come on, come on, worrying about others will make you confused. Why don't we sit around the fire and drink tea and wait slowly."
Yue Lingfeng also smiled, sat opposite Fang Zheng, picked up the teacup and took a sip, saying: "Chang'an is worthy of being the capital of the Tang Dynasty, prosperous and connected to the world. Even the tea served to guests in this inn is of upper-middle quality."
Listening to the cold rain tapping on the window outside, Fang Zheng sighed: "Spring grass has just sprouted in the south of the Yangtze River, but I didn't expect that it's still so cold in the north. Fortunately, there is a stove in the room, which can warm it up a little."
Yue Lingfeng said, "I'm afraid that Hall Master Fang has never been to the north in early spring. Generally, the stove and kang are not removed until after Qingming Festival. There are often scenes of flowers blooming to welcome spring but snow and ice fall instead."
The two were chatting quietly when they heard heavy footsteps outside. The door was pushed open with a clang. They saw Lin Jianlan standing at the door, soaking wet, with his face dripping with rain. He lowered his head and said nothing. In an instant, the ground under his feet was wet. The two were shocked and hurriedly stood up to help him into the house, but they felt like they were holding a piece of cold wood. His face was pale with a cold blue aura, and his teeth were chattering.
Fang Zheng turned around and took a dry cloth to wipe Lin Jianlan's face and head slightly. Just as he was about to ask a question, Yue Lingfeng gently pulled him and shook his head at him. Then he looked down and saw that the rain had just dried on Lin Jianlan's face, but two lines of tears were sliding down. He couldn't help sobbing and said intermittently: "Brother Lei, I hurt Brother Lei..."
He walked in the rain, with the blood splattering on the wall in front of him as Lei Kan hit the wall. He also once stood up for the people and killed the leader of the government army with a palm, but he did not feel any guilt. He was secretly afraid that he had ever thought that human life could be wiped out so lightly. This time, the incident of Lei Kan was like a heavy hammer that made his heart ache. It turned out that he was so insignificant, how could he control the life and death of others?
Fang and Yue were both waiting silently by his side without asking any questions. Lin Jianlan felt more and more ashamed to face them. Thinking of the promise he made two days ago, he regretted his carelessness, regretted that he had just entered the world of martial arts but did not know how high the heavens were and how deep the earth was, regretted that he had underestimated people's hearts... A burst of regret, self-blame and frustration burst out in tears, and this emotion was mixed with confusion and disappointment towards Lei Kan, "Why don't you wait for some time? Why?" It was a long time before he calmed down. Yue Lingfeng had already put a cup of hot tea in his hand.
Lin Jianlan wiped his eyes and saw the heat rising from his palms. Another tear fell into the water. At this time, Fang and Yue had almost guessed that the "Lei Kan" executed in the daytime was probably just a substitute, but they didn't know what happened after Lin Jianlan left in the evening. Judging from his tone, it was probably a bad omen.
Yue Lingfeng patted Lin Jianlan on the shoulder and said, "Brother Lin, men don't cry easily. Let's discuss what happened together."
Lin Jianlan told them what happened that night in bits and pieces. The two of them frowned and listened carefully. After hearing what he said Yue Lingfeng breathed a sigh of relief and sat aside and said softly, "Brother Lin, don't blame yourself so much. In my opinion, your handling of the matter is much better than making a scene in the Beggars' Sect's funeral hall and making things out of control. If you don't believe me, ask Hall Master Fang."
Fang Zheng said, "Young Master, you have good intentions. We don't have any substantial evidence. We want to save Lei Kan's life, but we can't let the Beggars' Sect lose face in the martial arts world. Only Tang Zimu, whose origins are unknown and who has some status, is the best choice for this deal. He is also sensible. Although he knows that we can't do anything to him with just the words of a child, with the Beggars' Sect's ability to gather information, if someone really suspects him, I'm afraid his true identity will be dug out sooner or later."
Yue Lingfeng said: "Brother Lin's arrangement is only missing one thing, that is, Lei Kan, whose life we want to save. This is a lesson that is not too late. People should not be traded easily. Even if they are chess pieces, they have their own hearts. Brother Lin, you have misjudged his heart."
Lin Jianlan raised her tearful eyes, with a question in her mind. Yue Lingfeng sighed and said, "He is so loyal to the old leader. How could he not know that his future is in danger after the incident in Hangzhou? He must have brought you to the meeting place."
Lin Jianlan stood up suddenly with a cry of "Ah". Yue Lingfeng said, "Do you understand now? You think he only wants to clear his name, but that's a big mistake. He wants you to catch the murderer and avenge the Nian gang leader! It's good to have a chance to survive, but he's not a fool. You explained everything tonight. He knew that the only way to track down the real murderer was through Tang Zimu, but he let Tang Zimu go in vain in order to save his own life. How do you want him to deal with it?"
Lin Jianlan said gloomily: "Although I swore not to reveal a word to the people in the Beggars' Sect, it doesn't mean that I will just let it go. I wanted to tell him that it was just a temporary relief and then start to investigate, but Brother Lei actually..."
Fang Zheng said: "Even if you explain to him that he doesn't die today, the idea of 'letting the murderer go because of you' will become more and more deeply rooted, and one day he will seek his own death."
Yue Lingfeng clapped his hands and sighed, "This is the difference between people. Although Lei Kan is chivalrous, he is no more than that. Those who accomplish great things must be able to endure. If it were Brother Lin, what would you do?"
After being taught a lesson by the two of them, Lin Jianlan had calmed down a lot. Seeing that what Yue Lingfeng and Tang Zimu said were somewhat similar, he thought for a moment and said, "If I can survive, why should I rely on others? Even if my strength is limited, I will do my best to find the murderer and take revenge."
Fang Zheng showed a happy expression, patted Lin Jianlan on the shoulder and said: "That's right, you looked really embarrassed just now, go back to your room, pack up, have a good rest, and we will set off for Hangzhou tomorrow."
Lin Jianlan shook his head, his face somewhat gloomy, and said: "Master Fang, Master Yue, I will not go back with you. Since I left Hangzhou, I used a trick to subdue Zhu the guardian, relying on my little martial arts skills and getting some small benefits, I thought I could operate freely in the martial arts world and be independent. If I had discussed today's matter with you earlier, how could it have come to this? I have always been responsible for Brother Lei's death. I have made promises several times to save his life and restore his innocence, but I have not done any of them." Seeing that the two were about to dissuade him again, he smiled to himself and waved his hands, saying: "Besides, the death of the old gang leader must have something to do with the Kuangyi Gang. How can I just let it go? This will not only be unfair to Uncle Qing, but also to the old gang leader's spirit in heaven. Alas, you don't need to persuade me, I... I'll go first."
The two of them saw him quietly push the door and leave. They were speechless for a while. After a while, Fang Zheng sighed, "The young master was sent to Jiangnan against his will. After several years of experience, his wisdom is already very extraordinary. But this time he suffered such a setback for the first time acting on his own, so it is inevitable that he is in a bad mood." He smiled again and said, "Don't worry about him. Tomorrow morning, when his mood is a little more stable, we will persuade him to go back with us."
Having said that, Yue Lingfeng couldn't fall asleep while lying in bed. He tossed and turned until the fifth watch. He jumped out of bed, washed his face hurriedly, pushed open the door, and heard a "click" sound. Something fell to the ground through the crack of the door. He looked down and saw it was a letter. He sighed inwardly, bent down and picked it up. It was indeed a letter from Lin Jianlan.
Fang Zheng had woken up after hearing the sound. Yue Lingfeng sighed, "I didn't sleep all night last night and didn't realize that Brother Lin left a letter. His Dongliuyunbu has already been deeply influenced by the leader."
After opening the letter, I saw that the handwriting was quite similar to Lin Longqing's, but it was not as sharp, and more rounded and elegant:
"Brother Yue, Master Fang: I'm leaving. After experiencing this, I realized that I was still too shallow. Don't worry about me. Uncle Qing also said that I can gain more experience outside. In addition to continuing to investigate the affairs of the old gang leader, I also want to secretly investigate the affairs of the two branch halls near the imperial capital. I don't want to trouble Uncle Qing about my parents' affairs anymore. In addition, I have something to tell you. The Kuangyi Gang is in a turbulent time now. You must go back as soon as possible. Uncle Qing deliberately sent the two of you out without anyone around. I'm afraid he has some plans. If I'm not mistaken, he may be trying to lure someone into action. However, I hope my concerns are unnecessary. I hope you two take care of yourself. Lin Jianlan greets you."
The two looked at each other, but they didn't know what Lin Jianlan meant by the last words. Could it be that there was someone in the gang that Lin Longqing was suspicious of? Although Lin Jianlan didn't say it, he seemed to know who this person was. Thinking of Cao Shujian, Cheng Dafu and Jinzhou Branch all rebelled in the past few years, he couldn't help but feel nervous. He quickly packed up his luggage, didn't even bother to eat breakfast, and rode his horse to the southeast.
As soon as the two horses galloped away, Lin Jianlan appeared from the small door at the corner of the inn. He watched the two people walking away in the distance, his eyes gradually covered with a layer of mist. He turned around and went upstairs sadly. After a while, he walked out with the package.
After leaving the inn, he didn't know where to go. After thinking about it, if he followed Lin Longqing's approach, he would rent a quiet place to stay, where no one would disturb him and it would be much cheaper . Thinking of this, he put the package on his shoulder and walked along the long street to ask around. Occasionally, he saw someone post a notice of "lucky house for rent" and went to negotiate, but he could never find a house that suited his taste.
Chang'an is a huge city with densely packed streets. Lin Jianlan walked like this for the whole morning. He didn't eat in the morning because he wanted to avoid Fang Zheng and Yue Lingfeng. His stomach was already rumbling. He looked around but couldn't find a restaurant or a tavern. Instead, there was an inn not far ahead. It had carved beams and painted buildings and looked quite nice. He couldn't help but smile bitterly, went in, picked a seat and sat down, and said to the waiter, "Chinese cabbage and tofu, fried shredded potatoes, and a bowl of rice."
The waiter saw that he had chosen a private seat and thought that he was a rich young man, but he didn't expect that he only ordered two unattractive dishes. His smiling face suddenly turned into a stern expression and he said, "I'm sorry, sir, could you please change seats? This seat is reserved."
Lin Jianlan knew his power and was too lazy to argue. He shook his head, smiled, then stood up and followed the waiter to a seat in the corner. There was nothing wrong with it, except that the light was too dim.
Seeing him sit down, the waiter lazily shouted to the back hall: "Cabbage and tofu, fried shredded potatoes, and a bowl of rice, hurry up!" After that, he turned around and left, not even bothering to serve him a bowl of tea.
Fortunately, the food was served quickly, probably hoping that the guests who had nothing to gain would finish eating quickly and make room. While Lin Jianlan was eating, he suddenly heard the sound of wheels and the neighing of horses outside, followed by the waiter's excited shout: "A distinguished guest has arrived! Please come into the private room!"
