abnabooks Chapter 41 Backer
Chapter 41 Backer
It's almost October, and the autumn breeze is cool.
Meng Chen practiced the Gale Blade Technique more than ten times, and then stopped to think after each practice.
This sword technique is indeed known for its speed, but it requires a stable lower body and strong waist and hips.
Moreover, the moves are not complicated; they are offensive rather than defensive, not aiming for a fatal blow, but rather to injure the opponent with a swift strike.
Meng Chen practiced until noon before going out for lunch.
When they arrived at the canteen, Cui Butong did not serve Meng Chen food as usual, and did not even greet him.
"Cui Butong knocked on the second barrier yesterday." Qi Yun suddenly came to Meng Chen's side.
No wonder he changed his attitude, but the change was too fast! Meng Chen was unfazed by honor or disgrace, so he didn't say anything, got his food, and sat down to eat heartily.
Qi Yun sat opposite Meng Chen, not asking what Meng Chen had been doing these past few days, but simply pushing his bowl of meat in front of Meng Chen, "You eat it. You argued with Senior Brother Gao over Lao Gong's bowl of rice before, so I'll give you a bowl today too."
"Are you leaving too?" Meng Chen asked curiously.
"Yesterday at noon, Senior Brother Gao sent Old Dog Bi to deliver a message, saying that he was short of someone with good judgment. If I couldn't get past the second hurdle, he would let me work for him."
Qi Yun sighed, but there was a hint of smugness on his face. "Senior Brother Gao is right. I've been wasting too much time here. I need to go out and find something to do to earn some money. You don't know, Wan Dabao left, and Qi Miao said she'll leave at the end of the month. They're both broke. My family's meat stall isn't making any money either. My parents are getting old, and my brother-in-law is just a bookworm. I have to support the family."
"We really need to find a way to make money," Meng Chen said.
"Right! We spend so much money learning martial arts, isn't it all for a stable life?" Qi Yun poured all the meat into Meng Chen's bowl. "I've already told Master Du and Senior Brother that I'll leave after noon. I've thought about it, following Senior Brother Gao will allow me to meet more people. If I can become a constable, no one will be able to bully us, and I can just coast through life. Anyway, you stay here and study hard. Once I've settled down, I'll come find you."
At this point, Qi Yun rubbed his hands together and whispered, "Senior Brother Gao has been getting close to Young Master Yan lately. I might get to know Young Master Yan, and things might turn out quite differently!"
"Brother Qi..." Meng Chen wanted to say something, but Qi Yun stopped him by raising his hand.
"I know what you're trying to say. I've thought it through. I know my own limitations. I know I'll never amount to anything and will only be able to make a living by following others. You have the ability, but I'm different. I don't have the ability, so I'll have to find someone better." Qi Yun was very serious.
But the high branch you climbed broke last night! Meng Chen didn't know what else to say, so he lowered his head and ate his food.
"Xiao Meng, we've made a promise. If I become successful, I'll definitely include you. And if you rise to prominence, don't forget your brother." Qi Yun grinned, looking forward to the future.
"If I become rich and powerful, I will not forget you," Meng Chen said.
After the two of them had a simple lunch, Qi Yun shouldered his bundle, said goodbye to Master Du, and then bid farewell to the other apprentices. Du Ren and Meng Chen then saw him off.
But as soon as the martial arts school doors opened, Constable Xue and Constable Dong came up.
"You two are here to pick me up?" Qi Yun was overjoyed. "Senior Brother Gao still values me! You said Bi Qing would have been enough, but you two have gone to the trouble of coming all this way to fetch me!"
"Pick you up? Who are you? Pick you up my ass!" Officer Xue frowned, looking extremely hostile.
Qi Yun felt very wronged and said, "Senior Brother Gao told me to go find him!"
"What are you looking for? Your Senior Brother Gao is gone!" Constable Xue said irritably, his words showing far less respect for Gao Yuan.
"What do you mean?" Du Ren, who had been wearing a cold expression, immediately stepped forward to inquire after hearing this.
"Young Master Gao died outside the city last night," Constable Xue said after looking at Du Ren and Meng Chen.
"Huh? Gao Yuan is dead?" Du Ren's mouth dropped open.
"Dead?" Meng Chen was utterly astonished.
Officer Xue nodded. "Hurry up, let us go in and say a few words to Mr. Du."
As they were talking, Constable Xue and Constable Dong had already entered the martial arts school, and Du Ren and Meng Chen immediately followed.
Qi Yun stood in front of the martial arts school, clutching a small bundle, looking utterly bewildered, like a child who had just woken up to find his home gone.
At this moment, Constables Xue and Dong had entered the martial arts school, where they saw Du Zhong standing below the hall with a cold expression.
Du Ren strode forward and whispered, "Father, Gao Yuan is dead."
Du Zhong was taken aback upon hearing this and couldn't help but look at Meng Chen, only to see him standing with Qi Yun, the two brothers looking bewildered and helpless.
When Du Zhong was teaching the Gale Blade Technique in the morning, he also subtly advised Meng Chen not to argue with Gao Yuan over a moment's pride. Meng Chen readily agreed, but unexpectedly, Gao Yuan died!
Seeing that Xue Dong and his companion looked exhausted, Du Zhong figured it probably wasn't an act. He had been keeping a cold face, but now he couldn't maintain that facade.
Moreover, Chairman Xue's kicking down the door was under Gao Yuan's orders, so it can't be blamed on these two.
Since death is a serious matter, upon hearing this news, Du Zhong invited Chairman Xue and Chairman Dong into the main hall to speak.
"Gentlemen, is Gao Yuan really gone? When did this happen?" Du Ren poured tea for them.
"Last night, the young master was ambushed and killed on his way back from the Yan family!" Constable Xue downed his cold tea in one gulp and gave a brief account.
Du Zhong and his son looked at each other, and couldn't help but think of the story of the Yan brothers, Yan Hu and Yan Bao.
"Did those two come here because they suspect my father and me, or because they suspect my disciple?" Du Zhong asked curiously.
"I wouldn't dare," Constable Xue waved his hand. "The thief was injured, and we were ordered by the magistrate to investigate. Firstly, we ask Mr. Du to keep an eye out for any friends from the underworld who come asking for wound medicine or seeking refuge. Please let us know so we don't protect the villain."
Du Zhong nodded, thinking that the killer was probably not very capable, since he could get injured even after killing Gao Yuan.
"Secondly, we need to check if anyone in your household has any injuries, especially around the waist or abdomen. If anyone is absent due to leave, please explain," Officer Xue added.
"All the disciples of my martial arts school are here, a total of twenty-five. You two may wish to check them." Since death is a serious matter, Du Zhong had no reason to refuse.
Du Ren quickly called to the apprentices, who then took off their clothes and stood in the hall.
The apprentices practiced hard every day, and many of them were shirtless. They would even take off all their clothes when they took a bath at night, so no one felt ashamed.
"Don't take off your loincloth! It's not like we're comparing who has the bigger penis! Aren't you ashamed?" Du Ren quickly stopped the simple-minded boy.
When the two constables, Xue and Dong, came down to the hall, they looked over one by one and saw that all the apprentices were unharmed, except for their fists which were scraped, from hitting the sandbags and wooden stakes.
"I heard that Brother Meng has passed the second test. Congratulations!" Officer Xue walked up to Meng Chen and saw that Meng Chen's hands were unharmed, his legs were also fine, and the flesh on his waist and abdomen was firm. Apart from the black spots, there was nothing wrong with him.
Meng Chen initially thought that Constable Xue was suspicious of him, but seeing that the other man was very kind and didn't seem to suspect him at all, he realized that since Gao Yuan was dead, he really didn't have any conflict with Constable Xue and Constable Dong anymore.
"Thank you for your concern, Officer Xue. I'll invite you both for tea another day when we have some free time." Since the other party had already shown goodwill, Meng Chen reciprocated.
"It should be us two who invite you for tea, brother." Officer Xue nodded with a smile, said no more, turned around and said a few more words to Du Zhong before leaving.
As soon as the others left, the martial arts school erupted in chaos. Everyone lost their focus on training and started talking amongst themselves.
Du Zhong suppressed the noise and sent Du Ren out to gather information.
"Master Du, I..." Qi Yun said, looking confused and pitiful, "Could I stay a few more days?"
"Alright." Du Zhong immediately agreed, thinking to himself, "You just found a backer, and before you've even had a chance to warm up, that backer has already collapsed!"
That evening, Du Ren returned with the news. He first informed Du Zhong, and then was surrounded by the apprentices who asked him for details.
The matter of Gao Yuan's murder was discussed at the martial arts school for several days, but since no one came to the Du family to inquire about it again, things returned to calm.
Meng Chen was an innocent man. Although he had some unpleasantness with Gao Yuan in the past, death erases all grievances, and everything has gone with the wind.
October has arrived in the blink of an eye, and the weather is getting colder and colder.
Meng Chen practiced Du-style Tongbei Fist every day, along with the Mad Wind Saber Technique, and remained completely undisturbed by external things.
Nine days passed in this way, and the yang fish finally regained its brightness.
Meng Chen didn't wait any longer and decided to attempt the challenge.