Fish 199: It’s Said Saints Don’t Trace Their Origins

Would you like the small booklet of Mo Li’s journey?

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In the inn’s backyard, the guests who did not escape in time all huddled in their rooms, tremblingly watching the situation outside from the cracks in the windows.

Due to the rules of the government office, buildings within the prefecture city can only have up to three floors, and in the county city, two floors, thus the inn’s building behind is a two-story concave-shaped wooden building with narrow rooms, some of which are completely dark when the windows are shut, suffocatingly dark.

Many people were sweating profusely from the heat, yet dared not even breathe heavily.

However, the atmosphere in the several upper rooms of the second floor, designated as ‘Heaven’, was somewhat unusual.

The window was also slightly open, from this position one could just see the rooftop of the front hall of the inn.

No one stood at the window at this moment; at the table sat a man dressed as a scholar, slowly lifting the lid from the teacup in his hand.

The tea was clear and bright, with a greenish-yellow hue, it was a fine Bi Luo Chun.

Such fine tea appearing in such a small place was already very unusual, and furthermore, the teapot and teacups placed on the table were also contributions from Ru Kiln, luminous and glossy, white as cream, like fine jade.

The scholar sat backlit by the light, making it impossible for anyone entering from the doorway to see his face clearly.

He lifted the cup to drink, his demeanor composed, as if he came from a distinguished family.

There were also two people standing with their hands at their sides in the room, dressed like attendants, in rough clothes, their palms covered with calluses, their waists bulging.

Through the window, the scholar saw the figure of Meng Qi appear again on the rooftop in front of the inn, squeezing through a lifted tile, and he set down his teacup.

Moments later, there was a gentle knock on the door.

An attendant opened the door to see a man dressed like a merchant standing at the doorway.

The merchant respectfully whispered, “Reporting to the master, that person went to seek the Fengwei Escort Agency, and also abducted the head of the agency to an alley near the inn. As for what they discussed, I am sorry, but I dared not approach too closely.”

The scholar chuckled and said, “That Du Escort’s identity as a member of the Jinyiwei has been exposed.”

Fengwei Escort Agency in Yuzhou is barely considered part of the Four Gangs and Twelve Assemblies, it follows the legitimate path, unlike other Assemblies, but escorting requires dealing with these local snakes. It has little prestige, limited connections, one shouldn’t expect to be the chair of the various escort agencies in Yuzhou.

Fengwei Escort Agency’s standing today is not just due to the highly skilled escorts who are difficult for other agencies to poach, but also due to the official paths they have cultivated.

These paths are usually the foundation of an escort agency, always kept secret from outsiders to prevent being spied upon and taken advantage of.

——Although the real reason why Fengwei Escort Agency thrives is because it serves as a covert outpost for the Jinyiwei, only a few are aware of this.

One of the attendants by the scholar’s side immediately agreed, saying, “The Fengwei Escort Agency has been too complacent these years, accomplishing nothing, recently even the task of hunting the descendants of the Chu dynasty has been carried out half-heartedly, and they spend their days mingling with the local snakes of Yuzhou, their vision has lowered, and they are not as cautious in their actions.”

The scholar slowly shook his head and said, “This statement is mistaken, their lack of action is all due to internal strife and exclusion. Being dispatched here and having no hope of being recalled or promoted, who can devote themselves completely, they can only focus on the money earned by the agency. Born in this world, the words fame and fortune, how can mere mortals see through them?”

While they were speaking, another attendant came to report that all the people from the Fengwei Escort Agency had withdrawn.

The fight was raging in the streets, and the people from the Fengwei Escort Agency had originally not participated in the brawl. Now, using the excuse of searching for Escort Head Du, they quietly retreated, and the members of the other gangs did not pay much attention.

After all, the interests contested by the local snake gangs and the needs of the escort agency are two different matters, with no conflict between them.

“They ran off quite fast… It seems that Master Meng indeed has no intention of hiding his identity.”

The scholar raised his hand to pick up the teapot and refilled his cup with tea.

His voice sounded young, still retaining some of the clear and bright tone of a youth.

However, the scholar’s attendants all treated him with great respect and conviction.

“The master is correct; if not for that, the people from the Fengwei Escort Agency would not have been so tactful.”

“Has the background of that doctor who accompanies Master Meng been investigated?” the scholar asked in a deep voice.

An attendant immediately handed over a thick stack of documents.

If Mo Li were present, he would surely be surprised by the contents.

It detailed his tracks in Yongzhou, Taijing, and Mount Shangyun.

This was a compilation of sightings and experiences from over a hundred people.

Almost every interaction Mo Li had with the martial world was recorded—his encounter with Yudong’s Eight Tigers and Golden Phoenix in the abandoned temple in Yongzhou, his practice of medicine for money in Yongzhou, and even his visit to Mount Shimo Fort was not omitted.

The section on Mount Shimo Fort was emphasized.

Qing Dacheng, a former elder of the Dongting Gang, and Daoist Sang of Taiji Sect, who also served King Wu, led several hundred men to Mount Shimo in an attempt to cut off the Qi Dynasty’s dragon vein. The entire force was annihilated, with only two or three who fell into a ravine and miraculously survived to make it out of the mountains alive.

“This Doctor Mo was brought to our attention after the incident at the Yongzhou imperial tomb was reported by a separated faction. The travel permit he holds is from Qingzhou government office, and he speaks official language fluently. What’s especially surprising is that he can diagnose and treat illnesses not only with exquisite medical skills and acupuncture but also can understand and speak over ten dialects. This made it extremely difficult for us to investigate his hometown, and we nearly got misled.”

The scholar flipped through the pages of the documents, pondering, “What weapon does he use?”

“He mostly fights with bare hands, his martial arts are of the highest caliber, considered among the elite in the martial world,” the attendant couldn’t help but sigh.

One Master Meng, mysterious and with exceptional martial skills.

Now there is also a Doctor Mo, equally inscrutable.

With Meng Qi as a precedent, they dare not guess Doctor Mo’s age.

“The master is wise. By the way, it’s said that these two also killed the branch leader of the Holy Lotus Sect in Qinghu Town, Pingzhou, crippled a disciple of the Qingcheng Sect’s Golden Sword, and added to that, Meng Qi killed the elder Songya of the Chunshan Sect in Yongzhou. Currently, these two sects are their enemies.”

“What about before Pingzhou?”

“That… we are still gathering information. It’s said that after the earthquake in Qiuling County, Doctor Mo seemed to have gone to help the disaster victims.”

Upon hearing this, the scholar frowned and asked, “Has there been any contact between the Si family of Qiuling County and them?”

“That is still unknown, but given their attitude towards Elder Qingwu and the Holy Lotus Sect, they are probably not on the same side as the Si family. However, these two are almost always together; we really don’t know what their relationship is.” The attendant was utterly puzzled.

The scholar pondered for a moment, then made a decision, “Previously, Meng Qi was in seclusion on Mount Shangyun in Taijing, but this Doctor Mo has never appeared in the martial world before; such a person being so obscure is indeed unimaginable. We have already investigated Meng Qi’s background more than ten times. Let’s put that aside for now and focus on this Doctor Mo. Perhaps through him, we can unearth the origins of Master Meng together.”

The records after Taijing in the documents became even more complex.

There were instances where Meng Qi and Mo Li’s travel permits were exposed as forgeries at the city gate, and they turned and ran.

The destruction of the Liuhe Temple on Dragon Claw Peak, with the involvement of the Deputy Commander of the Jinyiwei, Gong Jun, and speculations about Meng Qi and Mo Li’s connection to the true and false mysteries of Emperor Li’s tomb. It also included accounts of people who escaped from the collapsed Zangfeng Temple, saying that Meng Qi had fought with Elder Qingwu at Xianyue Temple, battling fiercely.

Elder Qingwu died within the Forbidden Palace, the specifics unknown, but after the palace coup, Meng Qi and Mo Li appeared in Jingcheng’s Peony Square with a mysterious young man, who frequented a bookstore at the Fengxing Pavilion branch.

“…There is also a matter not yet written down. After the palace coup of Qi Dynasty’s second prince, his whereabouts became unknown, and just then, they happened to have a young man of similar age with them whose background is untraceable,” whispered the attendant, “Moreover, we all know of the Elder Qingwu’s martial prowess; cunning and long scheming, it’s unlikely he would be obliviously killed by cannon fire. Thus, Emperor Lu Zhang’s sudden death and the Elder Qingwu’s demise might also be related to these two.”

The scholar was noncommittal, flipping to the next page, pointing out, “They spent money at Fengxing Pavilion to inquire about the best craftsman in Jingcheng who makes silver needles?”

“Exactly, that craftsman had a reputation from the previous dynasty and had impersonated others in the imperial examinations several times. After Master Meng left Taijing, the craftsman also disappeared. Subsequently, the Jingcheng Jinyiwei started a strict investigation into the imperial examination frauds, causing panic among Prime Minister Zhang’s faction in the court. Emperor Yongchen seems intent on investigating thoroughly.”

Court, imperial court, martial world…

It seemed that these two had shadows everywhere.

“I heard that the master was also in Taijing at that time, I wonder—”

“When the sky showed strange signs, I took people out of the city to check, but ended up trapped outside. The palace coup sealed the city gates; it was a long time before they opened, by which time the Elder Qingwu was dead. No matter how powerful our forces are, it’s hard to reach into the Forbidden Palace. Even the affairs of the imperial court are hard to discern clearly, only these martial world matters are left to understand the ins and outs.”

As the scholar sighed, suddenly there was a commotion downstairs.

A figure desperately dashed into the courtyard of the inn.

It was none other than Changxin Gang’s leader, who had disappeared for a whole night.

He didn’t seek out his own subordinates or the fighting Four Gangs and Twelve Assemblies but sneaked into this inn stealthily.

“This is bad.” The attendant’s face changed dramatically.

They were staying in this inn due to the ongoing chaos outside; Meng Qi might not have noticed that someone was spying on him. Now that the Changxin Gang leader had barged in, if Meng Qi remained unaware, it would be a disgrace to his reputation as a supreme martial artist.

“Master?” Everyone quickly looked towards the scholar.

“Forget it, Ge Changxin is greedy for life and fears death, unable to keep secrets. It’s too late for us to leave now; let’s face this former imperial advisor openly.”

***

Meng Qi smiled amiably at the sweaty, mud-covered leader of the Changxin Gang.

“I didn’t realize the leader was so dedicated. What, did you come to send us off?”

The leader of the Changxin Gang shook his head repeatedly, his eyes uncontrollably slipping backward, cursing his rotten luck.

How could Meng Qi also be in this inn? He was clearly here to find—

Mo Li suddenly turned around.

“Creak.”

The door leading from the main hall of the inn to the backyard was pushed open, and a stream of people entered one by one.

There were merchants in fine cloth, stewards from the estates collecting debts, as well as attendants, servants, and coachmen. They seemed unrelated at first glance, yet they stood together. The innkeeper’s clerk recognized some as guests staying at the inn, others were not; however, the expressionless faces of these newcomers sent chills down their spines.

“I wondered why I felt someone watching me, it seems this inn also houses a remarkable individual,” Meng Qi spoke, hands behind his back.

With his keen perception, he immediately recognized that the newcomers were all trained fighters, and their martial skills were quite formidable.

Much stronger than the members of the Four Gangs and Twelve Assemblies outside.

Not one of the members brought by Elder Cai of the Dragon Head Society could match them.

Although their skills were not as great as Elder Cai’s, they could be considered second-tier experts in the martial world.

That was quite astonishing.

Especially since they all looked very ordinary, dressed casually, with no trace of the arrogance typical of masters.

If not for their straight-backed, sharp presence, they might easily go unnoticed on the streets.

Mo Li noticed that these people were subtly assessing him, seemingly more interested in him than in Meng Qi. This was a new situation for Mo Li, prompting him to look towards Meng Qi.

Meng Qi’s expression darkened, about to erupt in anger, when a scholar walked in from outside.

The sound of hidden weapons hissing filled the air, and the innkeeper along with the clerk collapsed, unconscious.

Mo Li intercepted a dart mid-air, detecting the scent of a sleeping drug on it.

He used his internal energy to dispel the potent, drowsy aroma and casually tossed the dart onto the table.

Looking up, Mo Li saw the scholar dressed in a thin, white robe, bearing traces of washing and mending, ordinary in appearance with dark, rough skin. Aside from his composed demeanor, he seemed no different from the impoverished scholars on the streets.

“Master Meng, Doctor Mo, I have long admired your names, and I am very fortunate to meet you today.”

The scholar smiled warmly, greeting them with a deep bow as soon as they met.

His manners were meticulous, and he carried himself with humility.

Mo Li eyed the man suspiciously.

“Look at me being so rude, I forgot to introduce myself.” The scholar chuckled, bowing again, “My name is Qiu Jing, I am the master of Fengxing Pavilion.”

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Author’s Note:

Master Qiu: Investigate this doctor, I feel there’s a big secret with him, leave Master Meng be.

Crowd: All eyes on Mo Li

Sand Mouse: What are you looking at, did I agree to this?