Volume 2 Chapter 32: Darkness from the Two Worlds
"Yin Yin, you finally returned to the Kuang Yi Gang. Do you think this is revenge?" Lin Jianlan thought to himself, but he felt indescribable. He didn't know whether he should be happy for her or indignant. He just looked up at Wan Xiu and smiled softly, "A Xiu, what did Doctor Cheng say?"
Wan Xiu had seen this expression many times. No matter how turbulent his heart was, he would endure it all by himself in an instant. When he turned around, he still smiled nonchalantly. His heart was a little sour, but he still imitated Doctor Cheng's accent and said, "Hahahaha, Hall Master Wan, now it seems that the tough guy Qin Protector is actually the wisest person on the sunken ship. You are not as good as him. He has colluded with the Cao family for a long time, and those who are now doing well in the gang are all the people who chased Lin Longqing with all their strength when Cao Shujian was in trouble. Hall Master Wan, if I remember correctly, you used your daughter's serious illness as an excuse to stay in the Jinzhou branch. Can you still stay in the Kuangyi Gang?"
Lin Jianlan frowned and said, "With Uncle Qing's kung fu, he should not be defeated by Yin Yin no matter what . Sigh, I wonder where he is now."
Wan Xiu said: "My father said the same thing, but Doctor Cheng laughed at him: 'Even if you look for him, so what? Don't think that he didn't blame you for what you did to Lin Jianlan because of their past relationship. It's just that he has been unable to . Cao Shujian, his brother-in-law who fought with him to conquer the world, can be so cruel, let alone you? Does Master Wan still expect him to come to you to rekindle the old relationship?'"
Lin Jianlan said bitterly: "Uncle Qing has already explained the matter of Cao Shujian clearly. There are reasons for it. Your father should know it. Doctor Cheng can really sow discord by making Uncle Qing look so narrow-minded."
Wan Xiu frowned slightly and said, "But my parents were bewitched. Doctor Cheng said, 'You have a long-standing reputation and have become famous in the martial arts world. Lin Longqing was so successful in his time, but you are only the head of a small Jinzhou branch. Which of the lucrative positions in the main hall, Chang'an, Luoyang, Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas can get you a turn? In terms of martial arts and talent, which of those heads can be your opponent? As the saying goes, when you are under the eaves, you have to bow your head. Now that the roof tiles have been removed, what are you waiting for, Master Wan, to spread your wings and fly high?'"
"My mother's face was also very excited, but she calmed down immediately and asked, 'Doctor Cheng, there is a saying that the first bird to stick its head out gets shot. Do you want to make us Jianhong the target of everyone?'" At this point, Wan Xiu pouted slightly and said, "Doctor Cheng is really annoying. Instead, she laughed out loud. The laughter was indescribably disdainful. She said, 'Do you think that everyone in the Kuangyi Gang is now wholeheartedly affiliated with the Cao family? In fact, there are many people who are dissatisfied. The early bird catches the worm. Brother Wan, if you don't take this opportunity to make a call, if you wait for others to establish their power first, you will have to squat under the low eaves and suffer a setback again!'"
Lin Jianlan said: "Doctor Cheng is really experienced. He advised your father to set up a new gang and even found a good excuse. If your father really did what he said, many people from the Kuang Yi Gang would really join him, but the Kuang Yi Gang would have been torn apart from then on." However, things have come to this point and there is nothing that can be done. Uncle Qing must have seen the strangeness in Qin Tianxiong's words and deeds just like himself, but the people in the gang are unsettled. Why did he choose this time to send Fang and Yue away and force them to cause chaos?
Wan Xiu said, "He also said that someone would help with the expenses, but he wanted Dad to re-establish a branch in Chang'an under the name of Fu Gang, and contact some brothers in the gang who are dissatisfied with Lin Hongfeng."
Lin Jianlan sighed, "The Kuangyi Gang has remained prestigious over the years, and strong financial resources are an indispensable support. Firstly, Uncle Qing's ancestors have accumulated considerable wealth, and secondly, each branch has its own docks and halls for local water and land trade. I wonder how much Tiesong earns every year from the Yellow River waterway alone! The most difficult thing about building a gang out of thin air is not having money. I don't know what kind of power is behind Doctor Cheng to have such financial resources." However, he left something in his mind. Only . In addition to this power, did Lin Longqing have some secret industries that were unknown to the public?
Wan Xiu suddenly remembered something and said, "Oh, right! Doctor Cheng also said that even if Lin Longqing came to visit me in the future, I would not be able to sit in the top position again."
Lin Jianlan sneered in his heart: "How could Uncle Qing care about these false reputations? He stayed in this world just to figure out some things. Once he left this treacherous and unpredictable place, he would only feel disgusted when he looked back." Thinking of this, he understood Lin Longqing's intentions. He sighed and said inwardly: "Alas, maybe he just wants to make a big change and see the true face of everyone in the Kuangyi Gang. Although the price is huge, when he retires, he can leave Yin Yin with a group of people who sincerely help him. However, Yin Yin and aunt, I am afraid they will never know his intentions."
Wan Xiu told Lin Jianlan everything he had heard tonight. He felt a little tired from sitting there. He moved and found that his cloak had been dried long ago. His whole body was hot. He couldn't help but smile to himself as he sat by the fire in the house in this early summer weather. However, he saw Lin Jianlan was silent and deep in thought, with a big knot between his brows. He put away his smile and looked outside. The sky was already dimly lit, and the charcoal fire in the stove had gone out quietly at some point.
Seeing the shadows of the trees outside the window had changed from pitch black to lush green, Wan Xiu suddenly felt a little sad. This sadness was something she had been used to since she was a child, but now there was another reason. Even if she was not defending her parents, they were at least half together with Dr. Cheng for her sake. She didn't know how long this situation would last. When she came back to her senses, she saw Lin Jianlan had already taken the stove aside and said with a smile, "Ah Xiu just talked, and I just listened. How can we warm ourselves by the fire in the hot summer?" After another round of busyness inside and outside, she re-entered the house and said seriously, "Ah Xiu, I'm going back to Jiangnan."
Wan Xiu put her hands in her sleeves and clenched them tightly. She felt her heart thumping and seemed to be falling endlessly. After a while, she slowly said , "Master Lin, when are we leaving?"
Lin Jianlan put away a few clothes and books and said, "We have to leave today without delay. Otherwise, I don't know how to find Uncle Qing." Wan Xiu nodded suddenly and said, "Yes, I came here at night to tell you this. I should go back." He looked out the window again, then turned back and said in surprise, "It's already so bright, Master Lin, I have to go back, otherwise they..."
Lin Jianlan laughed and said, "A Xiu's words are so strange. You kept looking outside, and you just realized it's daybreak now?"
Wan Xiu lowered his head and smiled, saying, "I have always been like this." After that, he took the branch in his hand. Although the thread was already dirty, he still carefully straightened it, and tried to stand up and said, "Mr. Lin, now my father has made up his mind. You should not show up in front of the two of them. Otherwise, it is really unpredictable what they will do. Why waste time here? It is better to go to Jiangnan to get the news. I...you don't have to send me off. I will find someone to send me back on the street."
Lin Jianlan was about to see her off, but after hearing what Wan Xiu said, he found it very reasonable. He knew that if Wan Jianhong and his wife saw them, they would probably not care about the friendship between Wan Xiu and Lin Longqing. He could only support Wan Xiu and slowly walk to the door, saying, "Ah Xiu, take care of yourself and don't be willful. I will come to see you when I come back from Jiangnan."
Wan Xiu nodded, stepped out of the door, and staggered for a long time before she heard a door open behind her. She turned around and saw that Lin Jianlan had closed the door. Two lines of tears finally flowed down her cheeks. She wiped them and continued walking forward, but she didn't know where to go.
Without Wan Xiu by his side, Lin Jianlan felt much more relaxed on the road. He only bought a good horse, took a few things and ran to the south gate. Fortunately, it was just dawn and there were not many pedestrians on the street. He rode out of the south of the city at full speed, anxious in his heart, wondering what happened. Was Zhang Hufa still in the main hall? Not long after Fang and Yue left, something happened to the Kuangyi Gang. Where did they go after they returned? The one he was most worried about was Lin Longqing. He abandoned the gang on his own. If Doctor Cheng didn't know his whereabouts... Thinking of this, he was sweating anxiously and said to himself, "Grandma's whereabouts are unknown. Uncle Qing, you must not be in trouble!"
Lin Jianlan rode his horse fast that he did not care about food or lodging on the way. He just felt that he was getting hotter and hotter. The horse under his crotch also ran a short distance. When he saw a stream, he would dismount to drink water. Only during this little leisure time could he look around or ask about the way.
This stream was quite noisy. A few dozen feet across the river, several village women were washing clothes and occasionally playing and joking. Lin Jianlan stood on the opposite bank and was about to lead the horse over to drink water when he heard a girl on the opposite side stand up and shout, "If you want to drink water or swim, don't come and dirty me!"
Lin Jianlan only heard soft and sweet words, but he didn't quite understand them, so he could only shout to the other side: "What did you say?"
The village women over there burst into giggles. The girl scolded the others in a tender voice, turned back and shouted a few times. Seeing that Lin Jianlan was still standing there stupidly, she threw the clothes in her hands into the basin, tested the water with her feet, and then stepped into the water with confidence and waded over quickly. She had a very pretty and neat face, with a small beauty mole at the corner of her mouth. She didn't even look at Lin Jianlan, but was quite curious about the horse. She touched the horse's ears with her little hands. Then Cong Linjianlan took the reins and led the horse to the downstream of the river. After walking for a while, she stopped and handed the reins to Lin Jianlan again, and then ran back with a "patter" of water.
Lin Jianlan took a look at where they were washing clothes, then he realized that she wanted him to water the horse downstream, so he waved over there and shouted, "Thank you!" The village women on the opposite side saw the girl running back, and one of them said crisply, "You haven't found a husband yet? Demi's young man is very handsome!" There was a burst of laughter as soon as the words fell. The girl was quite aggressive. She stood in the water and splashed water onto the shore.
Lin Jianlan understood a few words in this sentence. The girl must be referring to the girl. The young man was alone around. He blushed and squatted down to wash his face. The women's voices were soft and sweet, and they sounded familiar. It seemed that they had arrived in Suzhou. The horses were almost done drinking. He stood up and looked around. There were still no pedestrians passing by. He had to shout diagonally across the street: "Which way to enter the city?"
This time the girl didn't say anything, but just stretched out her hand and pointed to the east. Lin Jianlan clasped his fists to thank her, then got on his horse and rode quickly along the path to the east. After walking for a while, he saw the towering city wall under the setting sun, with the two big characters "Suzhou" engraved on the city gate. He felt excited when he thought that after today, he would reach Hangzhou in a short time by walking south.
Lin Jianlan got off his horse and quickly led the horse into the city to look around. He found an inn to rest. He had been sleeping in the open air all the way and had never had a good rest. After dinner, he fell headfirst into bed. He closed his eyes and rested for a while. Although he was sleepy, he couldn't fall asleep. It turned out that he had been practicing martial arts non-stop, which took some time every night. At this moment, he was not used to it. He had to get up again, wash his face with cold water, and blow the cool breeze. He felt more energetic and practiced for an hour or two before falling asleep.
The next morning, Lin Jianlan was awakened by the heat. He felt sweat all over his head and body. He didn't expect that the south had already reached the bitter summer. He washed himself and left the inn. He walked towards the south gate. After walking for a while, he saw that the side street to the north was crowded with people. Most of them were pouring out. Some people came out but stopped and looked inside, almost blocking the road. Lin Jianlan was curious and asked the person next to him, "What's going on in there?"
The man didn't look at him, but said while looking around: "There is a temple fair at Wu Yuan Temple today." Lin Jianlan was moved when he heard that this was Wu Yuan's temple, and then he heard the man whisper: "Wu Hong and Cai Shaobing are here, leading a group of slaves to coax people outside. Alas, I don't know which girl will be in trouble!"
Lin Jianlan suddenly became furious and said inwardly, "The good people here have been forced to the point of gathering for an uprising, but the relatives of those in power are still acting rampant and unscrupulous. It's really despicable." Looking at the crowd pouring out, the person who was answering had already been squeezed to the ground. However, he saw Lin Jianlan standing in the middle of the street, standing still like a rock in the water. Knowing that he was a man with martial arts skills, he hurriedly said, "They have many martial artists guarding the courtyard, don't ask for trouble... Ouch!" However, he had already been squeezed farther and farther away by the others. With a slight sneer on his face, Lin Jianlan tied the horse casually to a street pillar, then stretched out his body and went upstream through the gaps between the people.
There was already a group of evil servants at the temple gate, pushing and shoving. Lin Jianlan chuckled in his heart, jumped up, and jumped into the temple. The people inside had been driven out, and the floor was littered with incense and candles. There were also some smashed carts and stalls, and fruits and snacks rolled all over the floor. It was vaguely clear what kind of riot had just happened. Suddenly, there was a faint shouting voice from inside. Lin Jianlan hurried to the main hall and saw that there was a side hall next to it. The voice came from there, but there were more than a dozen thugs guarding the door and patrolling back and forth.
