Starting from a peasant family, he mastered the profound art of martial arts.

Chapter 58 The Crow

"You two came out for soup!"

Qingyu had already removed his cloak and called the two out of the donkey pen. He first served Gong Ziming a bowl of hawthorn soup, and then Meng Chen.

Meng Chen and Gong Ziming had something to say privately, so they took their hot soup bowls and went to the front gate to chat.

"Brother Gong, is there anything else you want to teach me?" Meng Chen felt that the envoy was not easy to deal with, so he sincerely asked for advice.

Gong Ziming thought for a moment and said, "The envoy likes honest people."

People who like honest people are usually smart. Meng Chen said, "Luckily, I'm an honest person."

After saying that, Meng Chen asked again, "Anything else?"

"That's all." Gong Ziming shook his head, slurped up a mouthful of hawthorn soup, and asked in a low voice, "Why did you go to the Yan family? Did you join them?"

"How could I possibly be worthy of their hospitality? Their house is right next to mine. If they asked me to go over there, how could I dare refuse?" Meng Chen said helplessly.

"That's true, we all have no choice in the matter." Gong Ziming asked, "What did he want to talk to you about?"

Meng Chen didn't hide anything and told him about Ye Jinhuan.

"As you know, I've received great kindness from Master Du, and Brother Li has also taken good care of me. Brother Li's unwillingness to see Yan Zhao clearly shows his dislike for him. How can I possibly act as a mediator?" Meng Chen spread his hands. "That would be offending the Yan family's young master."

Gong Ziming nodded slightly. After a moment of contemplation, he asked, "How about we put this together and kill Yan Zhao? I have connections."

You've become addicted to killing? Shouldn't you, a member of a religious sect, be lying low and developing your power? Why are you so obsessed with killing people? And not just any people, but famous ones! Qu San's death is one thing, but Yan Zhao's status is different. If he were killed, that would be a serious matter!

Meng Chen indeed disliked Yan Zhao, not only because of the fact that Qingyu was freezing today, but also because of the Di family.

But now I'm not capable enough. I can't even get justice, let alone seek a shred of pride, let alone kill him quickly.

Meng Chen had murderous intent, but was hampered by the lack of skill in using his sword.

"Brother Gong, I think it's better to be more peaceful and not resort to violence at the drop of a hat," Meng Chen said, looking like he'd reformed. "If there are disagreements or conflicts, we should try to resolve them. Fighting is really bad. It might not cause problems once or twice, but who knows if it will happen three or four times? Besides, there are so many wise people in the world; we need to be more cautious."

Meng Chen was afraid that Gong Ziming's personality would cause trouble in the future.

"Hehe." Gong Ziming sipped his hawthorn soup, thinking to himself, "You were so experienced when you went to pick the Bamboo Basket Gang, and now you're trying to persuade me? And you still call yourself an honest man? Did you kill the Yan brothers?"

"The dividends from last time." Since everyone has secrets, Gong Ziming didn't say anything, but instead took out a few silver notes from his pocket.

Meng Chen took them, counted them, and found a total of five bills, all in denominations of one hundred taels each.

Adding the five hundred taels he robbed Gao Yuan, Meng Chen now has a thousand taels in savings. Murder and arson are indeed a quick way to make money.

After the two finished their soup and chatted for a while, the village head arrived with a group of people.

Several old women entered Qingyu's room, applied powder to her face, hung earrings on her ears, styled her hair into a goddess bun, and dressed her in colorful clothes, which, though not exquisite, resembled a rainbow.

She was originally a dark-skinned farm girl, but with this makeover, she looks quite clever and charming. However, she is still a bit young and has a small frame, so the clothes don't quite fit her properly.

After Qingyu was dressed, he was put into the sedan chair. Old Chen directed the men to lift the sedan chair and head from the west end of the village to the east end.

Everyone in the village came out to see. The sky and earth were vast and the north wind was cold, but there was a lively and bustling atmosphere.

Qingyu sat in the sedan chair, holding a bamboo basket filled with dried persimmons, dried dates, and hawthorns. As the sedan chair moved, she scattered the fruit, and the villagers followed behind, scrambling to grab it.

If a family's child is frequently ill, the sedan chair will stop so that the blue fish can touch the child's head, signifying a blessing from the goddess.

As night fell, after the villagers had knelt and prayed to the gods in the temple, they could not withstand the cold weather and dispersed after a short while.

Gong Ziming did not leave and slept at Meng Chen's house that night.

After a good night's sleep, it was already the first day of the Lunar New Year.

After getting up and eating, Meng Chen changed into new clothes, hung up his sword, and went to see the imperial envoy.

"Brother Gong and I have serious business to discuss." Seeing that Qingyu wanted to follow, Meng Chen used this excuse to fool the little girl.

Sure enough, the bluefish immediately became obedient and even cooked eggs for the two of them to eat on the way.

After leaving the village, Meng Chen and Gong Ziming first headed towards the county town, and then turned west.

Six or seven miles west of Qingshui County is Longtou Mountain, a continuous mountain range that stretches southwest. About a hundred miles away is Chunshui River, and further west are nine peaks called Jiuzhi Mountain, also known as Jiujue Mountain, the birthplace of the Jiujue Sect.

After walking along the road for eleven or twelve miles, we arrived at the foot of Longtou Mountain. On the mountainside was a Taoist temple, which was Caiyun Temple.

People from Qingshui County come to Caiyun Temple to pray whether they are seeking children or wealth.

Previously, Meng Chen was seeking the profound truth, and being extremely bored, he thought that a highly skilled cultivator might be living in a secluded Taoist temple, so he came to take a look. As a result, he was cheated out of about ten coins for fortune-telling.

Later, when he brought Old Chen and Qingyu, he also ran into Madam Di.

When the two arrived at Caiyun Temple, it was not yet noon. At this time, Caiyun Temple was very lively. People from nearby villages and even the county town came to burn incense and pray for blessings, hoping for a smooth and prosperous new year.

"Go ahead, I'm going into town. I'll wait for you at the entrance of the Goddess Hall at Caiyun Temple afterward," Gong Ziming instructed before drifting away.

Meng Chen entered Caiyun Temple, took out incense, bowed to the statue of the goddess, and offered two persimmon cakes.

Seeing that it was getting late, Meng Chen bypassed Caiyun Temple and headed uphill along the mountain path.

The mountain path was rugged, and the weather was cold with snow still lingering. Meng Chen walked carefully and slowly for three-quarters of an hour before finally reaching the summit.

There is a small stone temple on the edge of the cliff. The temple is not tall enough to reach a person's waist. Inside is a clay statue wearing a red robe. Three feet in front of the temple is a stone prayer mat.

There are withered pine and cypress trees on the mountaintop, and the occasional cry of birds can be heard.

Looking back down, one can see the incense smoke swirling around Caiyun Temple, but the noise is no longer audible.

Looking westward, one sees mountains hidden in winter fog and cold wind, with only a few traces of mountains and rivers, appearing exceptionally desolate.

Meng Chen timed it precisely, and seeing that the appointed time had arrived, the person still hadn't come.

A moment later, a flock of crows flew in from nowhere.

The crows flew about aimlessly, cawing incessantly.

For a moment, the red sun was half-hidden, and the distant cold mist and white snow were sparse. Meng Chen felt a sense of loneliness, as if he were the only person in the world.

The flock of crows cawed for half an hour, eventually leaving behind a few feathers before scattering to various parts of the mountains and forests. Only one crow flew into the small temple and perched on the shoulder of the clay statue.

The crow preened its feathers and then looked at Meng Chen with its dark eyes.

"Now that you have seen the Holy Envoy, why do you not bow?" the raven asked, its voice hoarse and neither male nor female.

No wonder Gong Ziming said he had never seen the envoy, but he didn't know that the envoy was actually Hunya, or that he was using Hunya's body to transmit his voice.

Meng Chen had heard Gong Ziming say that there were demons in the world, but they were extremely rare, especially within the Yu Kingdom, and were more common in the wild southwestern lands.

"What were you thinking about when you stopped to gaze into the distance just now?" asked the crow.

"I'm thinking about the past." Meng Chen thought that since he had come all this way, he couldn't leave empty-handed, otherwise all his murders and arson would have been for nothing.

"Turn back from the sea of ​​suffering, and cease your lingering attachment to the past." It was midday, and the sunlight shone down, making the wings of the crows shimmer with iridescent colors. The crow raised its head and said, "If you wish to quickly grasp the true teachings, step forward and bow three times."