Volume 2 Chapter 24: Lan Yin Dao He Ru
Everyone present had the same idea. They looked at Lin Jianlan with hatred in their eyes. Yun Mengzhen looked to the side and saw that the man in black had calmed down. He could not help but blame himself for causing trouble, but he refused to give in. He said, "I have been hunting geese all day, and now a goose has pecked my eye! Abbot Tanzong, I am afraid you are reading this scripture for yourself!"
Lin Jianlan did not answer. He was already certain in his heart that the poison needed sandalwood to be triggered. The others were all martial artists, but Wanxiu was seriously ill. He was quite worried. He walked towards her and saw her wrapping the blanket around her again. He asked, "Master Lin, why can't they move?"
Seeing that her movements were no different from usual, Lin Jianlan was surprised and wondered, "Why does she seem unaffected?" He walked forward and helped her up and put her into the carriage, saying, "A Xiu, are you feeling unwell?"
Seeing Wan Xiu shook her head, she said, "It's windy outside now, you can rest inside and watch quietly." But she was very confused, thinking, "She came out from home, ate and walked with me, and went to the Ci'en Temple with me. Just when the half incense stick was burned out, I held my breath and didn't get poisoned again. The others were all limp and weak, but she was fine. Why is that?"
While I was thinking, I heard Yun Mengzhen say, "Abbot Tanzong, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to mediate again. If he stops associating with Elder Dazhi and removes the poison from us, then tonight's incident will be over, and we, the Yukou Division, will not pursue him anymore."
The man in black also said: "This is already an exception. Otherwise, the abbot would know who is behind Yukousi. The whole world belongs to the king, and he will never be able to escape in the future."
Tan Zong said: "The No. 1 and No. 2 figures of the Yukou Division have entrusted me with this task. How can I refuse? Alas, I am now on the chopping block. I wonder if he will listen to my advice."
Lin Jianlan had just rolled up the curtain when he heard the name of "number two". He was alerted and slowly turned around to look at the man in black. The bloodstains on the walls of Nian Yongshou's room and the dying state of Lei Kan kept appearing before his eyes. He thought to himself, "No wonder, no wonder, why didn't I guess it? He can travel with Yun Mengzhen, and he is not inferior even if he hides his true identity. If he is not the number two of Yukousi, who else could it be?"
Lin Jianlan walked towards the man in black step by step, and his hand couldn't help but reach out. At this moment, he just wanted to know what the face under the black veil was like. He murmured, "The World's Crowning Black Jade, are you the World's Crowning Black Jade?"
The man in black was slightly surprised and asked, "How did you know my name in the company?"
Lin Jianlan's face changed drastically, and he said angrily: "You...you actually..." At this time, he had already grasped the black veil covering his face in his hands. With a slight lift, he could see the true face of the world-class black jade. However, he trembled, and the man in black showed anxiety and horror in his eyes. It was obvious that he was extremely reluctant to expose his true face, and beads of sweat were already dripping from his forehead.
But then I heard a loud noise of horses neighing at the edge of the forest, and a horseman galloped into the open space. The man on the horse reined in the horse and asked, "Are you all right?"
Seeing this person, Lin Jianlan was stunned and asked in surprise: "Elder Tang, how did you get here?"
The man on the horse was Tang Zimu. He jumped off his horse, looked around at everyone, and said with a wry smile, "I heard that Elder Dazhi was going south, so I came here to see him. It's a coincidence that I met you all here. It's really fate."
Lin Jianlan said: "Brother Tang is also acquainted with Elder Dazhi..."
Tang Zimudao looked puzzled and said, "When I visited Shaolin Temple by chance, I heard Elder Dazhi preach and asked him for advice, so I am familiar with him. But you all seem to be irrelevant people to me, why are you all gathered in this forest?"
Lin Jianlan thought, "I heard from Lu Lian that in the past ten years, anyone who had contact with Elder Dazhi was secretly dealt with by the Yukou Division. How come he is still safe? I'm afraid he must have lied." But he didn't expose it, and said lightly, "All of us have been poisoned by an unknown strange poison and have lost all our internal strength. They suspected me of being the one who poisoned us, but they didn't know that I was the first one to be poisoned. Speaking of irrelevant, Brother Tang happened to be wrong. These people, except for the guest in white, are all closely related to me."
The man in white was calm and said with a laugh, "I am probably the most innocent person. I was asked to secretly look after the girl in the carriage."
Lin Jianlan thought to himself, "I thought I had gotten rid of Madam Wan and Doctor Cheng. This person followed me secretly, but I didn't even notice it." He asked, "Since you followed me secretly, do you know why everyone was poisoned? What's the solution?"
The man in white said, "Mr. Lin, if I knew, would I still be poisoned? This gathering today is quite unique."
Lin Jianlan only felt that the man's voice sounded very familiar, but he had no time to think about it. He looked at Tang Zimu with a mocking look in his eyes, walked up to the man in black and said, "This second-in-command of the Yukou Division, Brother Tang said he has nothing to do with me, I just thought he was joking, what he did, Brother Tang naturally knows."
Tang Zimu said awkwardly: "Please don't say too much, Mr. Lin."
Lin Jianlan smiled and said, "Of course, I promised not to ask you any more questions, and I will keep my promise. But it was fate that I met this man today, and I did not rely on Brother Tang's help. Now he is paralyzed and unable to move. Although I have lost all my internal strength, I can move freely. I know that Brother Tang brought people with him, and they are outside the forest now. It's just that the time it took for Brother Tang's people to rush in was enough for me to take revenge."
Although he spoke calmly, his words were true. The man in black forced a chuckle and said, "In that case, before I lose my head, I will definitely have time to talk about Elder Tang's affairs. Unless Elder Tang kills everyone present, I'm afraid I won't be able to roam freely in the Beggars' Sect in the future."
Tang Zimu was startled, then smiled bitterly and said, "Forget it, forget it. I rushed to this mess and ended up getting myself covered in mud. Alas, Master Lin, I already know what you talked about with Elder Dazhi that day."
Lin Jianlan was shocked and thought to himself, "Who is he?"
Tang Zimu saw that he was very concerned, and continued: "Mr. Lin, now that things have come to this, I am willing to negotiate another deal with you. I know that Mr. Lin just wants to know his true face, and revenge must be fair. Now he is poisoned and unable to move. Killing such a person who has no power to fight back, I am afraid Mr. Lin himself will be quite disgusted."
Lin Jianlan was blocked by Tang Zimu's words and didn't know how to respond. In his mind, although he was not the one who poisoned the place, after all, he was the one who ignited the half stick of sandalwood, causing everyone present to be poisoned. It was really difficult to take revenge in this way.
Tang Zimu continued, "This is the deal I am talking about today. Although Elder Dazhi is unwilling to talk about what happened more than a decade ago, I am willing to tell him everything. The condition is that Master Lin will let him and Taoist Yun go today. If Master Lin can wait for three years, I will arrange a duel for the two of you within three years so that Master Lin will have a chance to take revenge. If he does not accept the challenge, I will tell Master Lin the true origin of this person."
Lin Jianlan raised his head suddenly, almost unable to believe what Tang Zimu said. He was not much older than him, but he knew the past events of more than ten years ago. He turned around and asked in a trembling voice: "Elder Dazhi, is what he said true?"
Dazhi's face turned pale, and he was trying his best to control himself, but his whole body was still shaking. Seeing his intense reaction, Lin Jianlan looked at Tang Zimu again, but his face was anxious, waiting for his reply. He must be right, as knowing what happened to his father was exactly what he wanted. Tang Zimu didn't ask for much, just to delay the time.
Lin Jianlan looked deeply at the man in black and said, "I have memorized this man's eyes and every move. Brother Tang doesn't have to keep the three-year agreement. After today, I will search the whole world to find him."
The man in black had just fought with him, but he didn't expect him to be so arrogant. His eyes flashed with coldness and sarcasm, and he said, "I'm ready to teach you." His voice was still very soft and pleasant.
Tang Zimu said, "In that case, it's up to you, Master Lin." He slowly looked towards Dazhi, sighed, and said, "Master Lin, how could I have personally witnessed what happened more than ten years ago? I also learned a little from my father. If what I said is true, please nod your head, Elder Dazhi. If it is inconsistent with the facts, please correct me in time."
Dazhi sighed and said, "Why not let the past events of more than ten years ago disappear into thin air? What good will it do if the truth is revealed? Alas, the storm has already arrived. Although I want to do my best to eliminate it, I can't do it. Elder Lin... Elder Tang, please speak."
Lin Jianlan heard these twists and turns. Nian Xiaoxia also said that Tang Zimu's real surname might be "Lin". He turned around and looked at Tang Zimu. He saw that he didn't notice Dazhi's slip of the tongue. He just looked a little sad. Maybe he was a little suspicious. But he suddenly remembered that the incident might involve a lot of things and it was not convenient to talk about it in public. He immediately said, "Wait a minute, Brother Tang. This matter should not be told to irrelevant people. Please wait for me to take these monks aside."
After that, Lin Jianlan placed the monks in the nearby forest. He was sweating profusely when he was done. He didn't know what to do with the man in white. After thinking for a while, he walked up to the man and said, "I'm really sorry for offending you tonight. I don't know how I got poisoned, and I don't know how to detoxify. I can only take you out of the forest and ask Brother Tang's men to take you back to Chang'an. Maybe the poison can be cured by itself, but before I let you go, I have to take a look at your appearance first, so that I can check with Miss Wan's mother later."
These words were considered quite thoughtful in this situation. The man in white nodded, with praise in his eyes. Lin Jianlan was about to lift the scarf covering his face, but heard him say, "Since we parted, I am probably the only one who has not forgotten my ambitions. I am rolling around in this world, and my identity and appearance cannot be known to everyone present for the time being. What should I do?"
Seeing that he did not make a comment, Lin Jianlan was about to ask again, but he heard Dazhi tremblingly said: "Sure enough, it is you! Mr. Lin, you have learned some of the past from me. I shamelessly ask you not to embarrass him!"
Lin Jianlan was startled. He didn't know what the white-clothed man had to do with Dazhi. It was hard to refuse when Elder Dazhi was so eager to plead for him. He smiled and said, "Since Elder Dazhi has spoken, I will orders. I will take him out and ask Brother Tang's men to take good care of him. I think Brother Tang will not refuse."
Tang Zimu's face was solemn. He thought for a while and then said with emotion, "When I was young, I heard a ballad in the south that goes, 'Three gentlemen of Sima, old trunks of twisted plums, cliffs of wild pines, and wind-blown bamboos.' Under Sima Xu's command, 'Qiu Mei' is a talented writer, 'Luan Song' is an outstanding martial artist, and 'Feng Zhu' is a brilliant thinker. Today, I am lucky enough to meet two of them."
The man in white didn't care about being guessed by Tang Zimu, and said, "The past events of more than ten years ago are now gone."
Yun Mengzhen and the man in black were shocked. They had heard of these three names. "Qiu Mei" was of course someone they had sent to kill. They had been monitoring Lu Lian for more than ten years. "Luan Song" was on the list of people they had been hunting since the establishment of the Yu Kou Division. However, the world was so big and the population was so vast that if he tried to hide, there was no way to find his whereabouts. "Feng Zhu" was an exception. The orders from above were only to find his whereabouts and repeatedly emphasized that his life must not be harmed.
For the two of them, no matter which one they find, it will be a great achievement . Yun Mengzhen rolled his eyes and said, "I wonder if you are the 'Random Pine' or the 'Wind Bamboo'?"
The man did not answer, but heard Tang Zimu say: "Among the three people, Qiumei was the oldest, Luansong was in his prime, and Fengzhu was younger. Since Qiumei tried her best to protect him, he must be Luansong, and Fengzhu is the father of this Mr. Lin."
Lin Jianlan just stood beside the campfire at this moment, with thousands of questions in his mind, but he didn't know where to start. He never thought that the masked man in white was actually the person who shared the same ideals with his father. He just hoped that Tang Zimu would tell him everything about the past.
Speaking of Lin Xiaoyu, Tang Zimu also had a complicated expression, and said: "'Qiu Mei' has become indifferent to worldly affairs. Now he is just an old monk who has been under surveillance for more than ten years. I am afraid that everyone present knows his original name, except Master Lin. This 'Qiu Mei' was very famous in his time. His impassioned speech "An Edict to Punish Wu Zetian" spread all over the world, and even the current emperor applauded."
Lin Jianlan exclaimed "Ah" and looked towards Dazhi. He saw that his expression was still calm but with a hint of sadness. Suddenly he remembered the poem he recited when he first met his father by the Slender West Lake. He thought about it carefully along the way but couldn't guess. It turned out that he had reversed the words "Bin" and "Wang" in his name.
During the three years in his hometown, Lin Longqing had explained his manifesto in detail and asked Lin Jianlan to read many of his poems. He only said that after the battle more than ten years ago, this person died for his ideals. He did not expect that it was the old monk in front of him who looked like a dead tree. Thinking of this, Lin Jianlan could not help but mutter: "I want to repay the king's ambition with my blood. I am honored to be the guest of honor. But with the power of the nine heavens , who says that a feather cannot soar into the sky?"
