Chapter 36 You Forgot to Take Your Umbrella

Shi Potian and Qu Feiyan didn’t know any of this. After passing the old man, they quickly forgot about it. Seeing passers-by gathered in a circle not far ahead, they immediately ran over excitedly to join in the fun.

Before they knew it, the two had been out for half a day.

It was not until the raindrops fell on their faces that they noticed that dark clouds were already covering Hengshan City.

“Brother Gou, there is a teahouse up ahead. The melon seeds and broad beans there are very delicious. Let’s go there to take shelter from the rain. When the rain is lighter, we can go back.”

After playing for half a day, Qu Feiyan had become very fluent in calling out “Dog Brother”.

Seeing that the raindrops were getting heavier and heavier, she pulled Shi Potian to a nearby teahouse they often went to, sat down, asked the tea master to make a pot of tea, and brought a plate of pumpkin seeds and a plate of broad beans.

The two of them drank tea with melon seeds and broad beans, waiting for the heavy rain to subside.

The teahouse was soon filled with people from the underworld who came to take shelter from the rain, and most of them were discussing Liu Zhengfeng’s retirement from the underworld.

Some were amazed at Liu Zhengfeng’s wide circle of friends and the grand occasion of his retirement from the underworld. Three days before the official date, Hengshan City was already packed with guests.

Some people despised these guests, saying that most of them were sycophants who attended the retirement conference just to curry favor with the Liu family and the Hengshan School.

Some people also mentioned Yue Buqun, praising him for being worthy of the name “Gentleman Sword”. He was humble and approachable, and had no airs of a leader of Huashan at all, which won the approval of many people.

Shi Potian was cracking melon seeds and broad beans, listening to these people praising his master. He was grinning with joy and only hoped that the rain would last a little longer so that he could listen a little longer.

Qu Feiyan was more concerned about what these people in the underworld thought of Liu Zhengfeng’s decision to retire from the underworld.

When someone heard someone wondering: “This Liu Sanye of the Hengshan Sect is only in his fifties, at the peak of his martial arts, why did he suddenly want to retire? Isn’t this a waste of his good skills?”

Qu Feiyan’s heart suddenly tightened and her ears pricked up.

I didn’t feel relieved until I heard these underworld people say, “Liu Zhengfeng was tired of the fighting and killing in the underworld, so he chose to retire at the peak of his career.”

But, the next second, a middle-aged man in a silk shirt suddenly said, “Brother, I heard from fellow martial artists in the three towns of Wuhan a few days ago that Mr. Liu had to retire from the martial arts world for a reason.”

His voice was so loud that many eyes in the teahouse immediately shot towards his face. Several people asked in unison, “What’s the reason? With Mr. Liu San’s status, martial arts skills and popularity, is there anyone in the martial arts world who can force him to retire?”

The middle-aged man said with a bit of pride: “It’s okay to say some things in Wuhan, but you can’t say them casually in Hengshan City.”

The short fat man on the other side couldn’t stand it anymore and said in a rough voice: “A lot of people know about this matter, why do you have to pretend to be mysterious? Isn’t it just that Mr. Liu San is very righteous and wants to consider the overall situation to avoid a factional dispute in the Hengshan Sect?”

After these words came out, Qu Feiyan finally felt relieved. The others became more excited and asked at once, “What do you mean by considering the overall situation? What is the dispute between the two factions? Could this matter be related to Mr. Mo Da?”

The short fat man said: “What do you think?”

“Although outsiders say that Master Liu is the second best master in Hengshan Sect, everyone in Hengshan Sect knows that Master Liu’s attainments in the thirty-six moves of the ‘Returning Wind and Falling Wild Goose Sword’ are far superior to those of the Sect Leader, Mr. Mo Da.”

“Mr. Mo Da can kill three wild geese with one sword, but Mr. Liu San can kill five. Every disciple under Mr. Liu San is better than those under Mr. Mo Da.”

“The current situation is getting worse and worse. In a few years, Mr. Mo Da’s influence will definitely be suppressed by Mr. Liu San. I heard that the two sides have clashed several times in secret. Mr. Liu San has a big family and a big business, and he doesn’t want to compete with his senior brother for this false reputation, so he wants to retire and live a stable life as a rich man in the future.”

Several people nodded and said, “I see. Mr. Liu San is very understanding and righteous, which is rare.”

Someone else said, “Then Mr. Mo Da is wrong. If he forces Mr. Liu San to quit the martial arts world, wouldn’t that weaken the reputation of his Hengshan School?”

The middle-aged man in the silk shirt sneered and said, “How can one take care of everything in the world? As long as I can hold the position of the leader, whether the prestige of our sect is strengthened or weakened, I don’t care.”

The short fat man took a few sips of tea, banged the lid of the teapot loudly, and shouted, “Make tea, make tea!”

He continued, “So, this is obviously a big event for Hengshan Sect. There are guests coming from all the sects and schools to congratulate. Even the head of Huashan Sect, Yue, came in person. But Hengshan Sect itself…”

When he reached here, he heard a few faint sounds of a huqin. The sound was sad, like a sigh or crying, and the sound of the huqin trembled and made intermittent sounds, like drops of rain falling on leaves.

Shi Potian didn’t even need to raise his head. He only heard the familiar misery and sadness, and knew it was the old man they met today. He raised his head with some worry. Qu Feiyan was startled, and his face suddenly changed. But he recognized the name of the song, and murmured: “This… This is “Xiaoxiang Night Rain”…”

She spoke in a very low voice and at a short distance, but the old man seemed to have heard her. He raised his head slightly and glanced in her direction.

Qu Feiyan instantly determined that the old man was the leader of Hengshan Sect, ‘Xiaoxiang Yeyu’ Mo Da!
All of a sudden, countless speculations came to my mind.

The short and fat man and other people in the teahouse didn’t understand this.

The short fat man shouted, “You’re like a ghost, what are you making so much noise for? You’re interrupting what I’m saying.”

Mr. Mo Da’s piano sound became a little lower, but he still didn’t stop.

Someone asked, “My friend, you just said that all the sects have guests coming to congratulate us, what happened to the Hengshan sect itself?”

The short fat man said, “You have seen that in Hengshan City, besides Master Liu San’s own disciples, there is another Hengshan disciple? Master Mo Da and Master Liu San are already at loggerheads with each other, and they are ready to draw their swords and fight as soon as they meet.”

Mr. Mo Da couldn’t bear it any longer, so he stood up, slowly walked to the short and fat man, and looked at him sideways for a long time.

The short fat man angrily asked, “What are you doing, old man?”

Mr. Mo Da shook his head and said, “You’re talking nonsense!” Then he turned and walked away.

The short and fat man was furious and reached out to grab him from behind.

Mr. Mo Da had expected this and his hand had already touched the long sword at the bottom of the huqin. Just as he was about to make a move, he saw a figure rushing over and grabbing the short and fat man’s arm.

It’s Shi Potian!
The short and fat man was greatly surprised and tried to pull his hand out, but it was of no use. Shi Potian’s hand was like an iron hoop, tightly gripping his wrist.

Mr. Mo Da’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he thought to himself, “Did he guess my identity after hearing the words ‘Xiaoxiang Night Rain’ and then attack me, or was he just doing it for justice?”

next second.

His doubts had been answered.

Shi Potian advised earnestly: “Big brother, the old man is so old, even if he doesn’t play the piano well, just don’t reward him, why hit him!”

Mr. Mo Da: “…”

Although the short and fat man was outspoken, he still had good eyesight. He could see that Shi Potian’s lightness skill and internal strength were far superior to his, so he didn’t dare to show off his strength: “I won’t hit him, you let go.”

Shi Potian let go of his hand.

The short fat man stepped back quickly.

At this moment, a green light suddenly flashed in front of his eyes, and a thin long sword swayed towards the table, making a few clanging sounds.

There were seven teacups on the table, and each of them had a half-inch cut off.

Seven porcelain rings fell beside the teacups, but none of the cups fell over.

Mr. Mo Da slowly inserted the long sword from the bottom of the huqin until the sword was completely inserted. He said to the short and fat man who was already pale with fear: “You are talking nonsense!”

He looked at Shi Potian again: “You are talking nonsense too.” and slowly walked out of the teahouse.

Everyone watched his back disappear in the rain, listened to the desolate sound of the huqin coming faintly, and their faces were full of horror.

Shi Potian was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses and shouted, “Old man, you forgot to take your umbrella!”

The sound of the huqin stopped abruptly.

(End of this chapter)