The chivalrous spirit is fickle

"That's it?"

Jiang Lu had no intention of quibbling and answered frankly.

"That's all."

When Jiang Baizhi heard Jiang Lu's answer, a hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes. She took out a few pieces of paper from her arms, which were full of names.

"Look, these are all people who have been harmed by the Gu worms. Because of the Gu worms, their children were sold and their families were destroyed."

"Among the children sold, the youngest was only six years old. He was sold to others as a slave at such a young age. When I found him, one of his legs was broken and he was almost dead!"

"There are countless similar tragedies. I worked so hard to investigate this matter to save people, not to exchange money for you!"

Listening to Jiang Baizhi's angry questioning, Jiang Lu still had no intention of defending himself, and just said lightly.

"We in Tsutenkaku are just a group of people doing business. We don't care about right or wrong."

"For me, what I care about is that everyone in Tsutenkaku can have a bite to eat. Other than that, the life and death of others is not important."

Jiang Lu took a deep breath, picked up the paper thrown by Jiang Baizhi, and without even looking at it, he tore it into pieces bit by bit and spoke slowly.

"The rules left by our ancestors cannot be broken in my hands. Even if you blame me and hate me, you cannot deny that you and I have relied on these dirty money to survive to this day."

"The skirt you wore when you were a child, the toys you played with, and every bite of food you ate were all bought with this dirty money."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Baizhi did not say anything in rebuttal, but continued to glare at Jiang Lu.

Seeing this, Jiang Lu smiled bitterly, his tone softened, and he spoke softly.

"I'm not saying you did anything wrong. Right and wrong are certainly meaningful, but we in Tsutenkaku are not suitable for discussing these things."

"I told you a long time ago not to enter this Tongtian Tower. Your personality is not suitable for this place. You should take a different path from me."

“A path that doesn’t have to be taken with a clear conscience.”

Hearing this, a hint of sadness flashed across Jiang Baizhi's eyes, and her anger gradually dissipated. She looked at Jiang Lu in front of her, looking at her brother who had been sad because of the death of a butterfly when he was a child, and felt lost.

She was indeed not suitable to stay in this Tsutenkaku and had intended to leave it a long time ago, but she was worried about her clumsy brother and could not bear to leave him alone in this Tsutenkaku.

In silence, Jiang Lu stretched out his finger, gently placed it on his forehead, and spoke slowly.

"Little sister, before you leave Tsutenkaku, please help me do one last thing."

Jiang Baizhi raised her head, perked up, and asked softly.

"what's up?"

Jiang Lu smiled slightly and spoke slowly to Jiang Baizhi in a soft voice.

"Help me check Shi Gu's past. This person's origin is quite mysterious, as if he suddenly appeared. It just so happens that in a year, Tongtian Tower will lift the ban on Shi Gu's past."

"If you look into his past, we can raise the price a little more."

Jiang Lu paused, then spoke slowly.

"After you finish this, you will have repaid your debt to Tsutenkaku and you don't have to stay here anymore."

Jiang Baizhi fell into silence, looking hesitant. Suddenly, she glanced and saw the scraps of paper torn by Jiang Lu. Her eyes fixed, she raised her head and spoke loudly.

"Okay, this matter is settled."

After saying that, Jiang Baizhi turned around and left without any hesitation. Wang Tianlai didn't say a word from beginning to end, but just watched the dispute between the two siblings quietly.

After Jiang Baizhi's figure completely disappeared, Wang Tianlai spoke softly to Jiang Lu.

"Almost everyone who knows Shi Gu knows that he was born in Qingcheng. Whenever he fought with someone, regardless of whether he won or lost, he would always promote his hometown."

"Qingcheng Shigu was his earliest name."

"He has never been shy about his origins. If someone asks him, he will answer. If you go to Qingcheng, you can hear all the stories about his life from childhood to adulthood from the locals."

Jiang Lu slowly turned around, looked at Wang Tianlai, and smiled with a little complacency.

"But my silly sister doesn't know these things, so she can just do it and live the life she wants."

Jiang Lu picked up the paintbrush again and continued to copy the portrait of Zhong Tian Jie Sheng, while whispering.

"Be chivalrous and righteous, help the weak and punish the strong..."

"I can't do the things I taught her back then, but I hope...she can do it."

"This is probably how my life will be, but she can live a better life."

Wang Tianlai felt mixed emotions when he heard this, but he didn't say anything else. He stood quietly beside Jiang Lu, looking at the man he had seen grow up, and let out an inaudible sigh.

In a room on the third floor of Tsutenkaku, Shi Gu was holding a bowl of rice, tasting the cooking of the chef of Tsutenkaku. When he was eating with relish, the door was suddenly opened.

Then Shi Gu saw Jiang Baizhi stride into the room. Without saying a word, she sat down opposite him, took out drawing paper, and started drawing for Shi Gu.

Shi Gu was stunned, holding the bowl of rice, not knowing whether he should continue eating. Seeing this, Jiang Baizhi said righteously.

"Don't worry about me. You eat yours and I paint mine."

Shi Gu hesitated for a moment when he heard this, but looking at the food on the table, he picked up his chopsticks again. He picked up a piece of pork ribs, put it in his mouth, and gently sucked the sauce on the ribs.

The aroma of the sauce and the aroma of the meat are mixed together very harmoniously. The meat is quite delicate, and the taste of the sauce is fragrant and spicy, which makes Shi Gu very enjoyable to eat.

While Shi Gu was chewing the ribs in his mouth, he made small talk with Jiang Baizhi who was sitting opposite him.

"Your braised pork ribs at Tsutenkaku are really good, much better than those made by chefs outside. They are authentic and delicious."

However, Jiang Baizhi had no intention of paying any attention to Shi Gu. She just moved her paintbrush quickly and painted Shi Gu's face on the drawing paper.

Shi Gu, who had asked for trouble, did not feel embarrassed at all, nor was he discouraged at all. He quickly ate the rice in the bowl and talked intermittently, not caring whether Jiang Baizhi paid attention to him or not.

"You guys in Tsutenkaku all know how to draw, right? I think you're pretty good at it."

"Tsk, why is there coriander in this duck meat?"

Shi Gu kept talking non-stop, all about boring topics, but Jiang Baizhi ignored Shi Gu's nagging, treating it as the buzzing of a fly.

Suddenly, Shi Gufu came to his mind and asked Jiang Baizhi curiously.

"By the way, little girl, have you ever drawn a pornographic picture?"

Hearing this, Jiang Baizhi finally reacted. She stopped the paintbrush in her hand, looked at Shi Gu, and answered frankly.

“Yes, I have painted a lot.”

Shi Gu suddenly perked up and was about to ask further questions when Jiang Baizhi added calmly.

"But the erotic paintings I draw only feature men, two men, or a group of men."

"I also painted a theme, Walking on a Dry Road in the Snow, do you want to see it?"

Hearing this, Shi Gu's eyes twitched, and he fell into silence as he looked at the other person's non-stop painting brush.

The room finally became quiet. After seeing that Shi Gu was frightened by her, Jiang Baizhi let out a long sigh and a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

It's quiet now.

Soon, Jiang Baizhi drew the appearance of Shi Gu on paper. Her painting skills were really good and the drawing was lifelike.

After finishing the painting, Jiang Baizhi stood up and left the room without saying goodbye to Shi Gu.

Shi Gu looked at Jiang Baizhi who came and went like the wind and shook his head repeatedly. He looked at the food in front of him and lost his appetite.

So, Shi Gu put on the human skin mask again, pulled the red rope in the room, and called a servant. Shi Gu smiled gently, pointed to the unfinished food on the table, and said softly.

"Please pack the food."

……

Chapter 33: Frame-up (I)

Two days later, Huiyin City.

Huiyin City is a big city, close to the sea and rich in resources, so the city is very prosperous. And on the most prosperous road in the city, there is an exaggerated courtyard.

Zongming Prefecture.

For many years, Huiyin City has been quite lonely. Although it is rich, there are no wealthy families or major sects in the city, and it is not well-known in the world. It was not until the emergence of Zong Mingfu five years ago that the regret in the hearts of the people of Huiyin City was finally filled.

In the city, at a roadside tea stall, the waiter boasted to Shi Gu with a smug look on his face.

"This Zong Mingfu has only been in the world for five years, but along the way, no one can stand in his way. Those who are blind enough to provoke him have been dealt with cleanly."

"Sir, don't think that this Zong Ming Mansion is not ranked very high now, but I bet you that sooner or later, this Zong Ming Mansion can enter the top ten in the world."

"Sir, do you believe it?"

Listening to the waiter's bragging, Shi Gu remained calm. He had no intention of talking to him, but just looked at the pedestrians on the roadside with interest.

The small one is hidden in the mountains, and the big one is hidden in the city.

This is a saying that has been widely circulated in the martial arts world in recent years. Since a long time ago, the sects and clans in the martial arts world were often built in famous mountains and rivers, but as time went by, those famous mountains and rivers were occupied completely, so the newly emerging sects could only occupy some desolate small earth slopes and live a happy life like bandits.

Gradually, some wealthy sects began to establish their own sects in the prosperous areas of the city, while the poor could only continue to find a mountain top.

Therefore, the saying "small hermits hide in the mountains, great hermits hide in the city" became a self-deprecating joke used by some small sects and lost its original meaning.

There are many pedestrians on the street. From time to time, you can see a few men wearing exactly the same white clothes, greeting pedestrians with a smile on their faces.

Those people were all disciples of Zong Mingfu. They looked gentle and enthusiastic, and had a very good reputation in Huiyin City and were quite popular among the people.

Since leaving Tongtian Pavilion two days ago, Shi Gu stayed in Huiyin City for a whole day. He observed for a long time but did not see these disciples of Zongming Mansion committing even one evil act.

If he had not seen the truth from Tongtian Pavilion and Shen Yue's memory, Shi Gu would have suspected that Zong Mingfu was an evil man.

Shi Gu picked up the rough tea bowl and drank the tea in it. He looked up at the time, then took out a copper coin and placed it on the table.

"Bill, please."

After saying that, Shi Gu stood up and strode towards the south of the city, blending into the crowd. After turning a remote alley, Shi Gu changed into Taoist robes, dressed like a Taoist priest, and continued to walk towards the south of the city in a swagger.

Shi Gu's purpose in coming to Huiyin City this time was extremely simple. He threw all the valuable stolen goods on him that he could not sell to Zong Mingfu in order to frame him and buy some time for Shen Yue.

Because his injuries had not healed in the past five years, and also so that Shen Yue could kill her enemy with her own hands, Shi Gu wanted to be as covert as possible to avoid a fight with Shen Zhongyi and the monster behind him.

He needed a special identity that would allow him to enter Zong Ming Mansion openly, and this identity was in an inn in the south of the city.

……

Just as Shi Gu was rushing towards the south of the city, a group of people had already gathered in the HSBC Inn in the south of the city.

This group of people sat quietly in the lobby on the first floor, their clothes ragged, their skin dark, and they looked anxiously as if they were waiting for something.

On the second floor of the inn, several monks stood at the door of a guest room. From time to time, they shouted towards the lobby, calling someone to enter the room.

In the guest room, an old monk with a kind face, wearing a simple black cassock, was slowly using his chopsticks to eat the vegetarian dishes on the table.

The old monk's name was Guanghui, and he was the abbot of the largest temple in Huiyin City, Kutuo Temple. He was well-known and loved by believers in the city. He was also a guest of Zongming Mansion, and they had close contacts.

With a click, the door slowly opened, and a middle-aged man in ragged clothes walked into the room anxiously and called out to Guanghui.

"Master Guanghui, I... I'm here."

Upon hearing this, Guanghui put down his chopsticks, picked up the white silk handkerchief on the table, wiped the corner of his mouth, and asked the middle-aged man with a kind look.

"Donor Li, long time no see."

"Last year the rains were good, so the harvest should be good too, right?"

Hearing this, the middle-aged man's face turned bitter and he stammered.

"Master...there was a flood in the fields last year...the crops were ruined."

Hearing this, the smile on Guanghui's face quickly disappeared. He frowned, looked coldly at the middle-aged man in front of him, and said lightly.

"Donor Li, it's been two years."

"You haven't paid rent for the fields you farmed for two years. One year they said there was a drought, and the next year they said there was a flood."

"Could it be that you want to bully me, a monk?"

Guanghui's tone gradually became colder, and he no longer had the kind look he had before. He picked up the chopsticks again, without even looking at the middle-aged man, and spoke coldly.

"You are a farmer who can't even farm the land. You have owed rent for two years in a row. If you can't farm, then don't farm. Return the land to Kutuo Temple."

Hearing this, the middle-aged man was horrified and quickly knelt on the ground, his eyes red, and begged desperately to Guanghui.

"Master... Master Guanghui... My son is seriously ill, and I need to buy medicine for his treatment..."

"If you take the land back now, my son will really die. Please... please don't take the land back."

"I kowtow to you!"