Chapter 1700: Chapter 1683: It’s Hard to Guess What’s on Soone’s Mind
Seeing his educated expression, Cheng Ziang sighed in relief and then looked at him, saying, “I’m investigating this matter anyway. Since you have the portrait, why don’t we take it to the West Market and ask around? Ask the rchants, ask the beggars, see if they recognize your senior brother and what they think of him. How about it?”
“Manor Lord will go with us too?” Xing Hu asked with so surprise.
“Why ask that?”
“No, I an,” Xing Hu waved his hand and said, “You are outsiders and should have nothing to do with these events, right? Why involve yourselves? Or… have you also suffered because of them?”
“Everyone in our delegation is upright folk—we’re not one to attract such life-threatening troubles,” Cheng Ziang replied with a chuckle.
“Yes, yes, my foolishness—please forgive , Manor Lord,” Xing Hu quickly lowered his head, realizing the problems in his words, and apologized profusely.
“I’ve told you before, you don’t need to be so reserved, nor revere so much. Respect should be mutual. If you respect this excessively, I can’t reciprocate, nor can I comfortably accept it—it will make uneasy. I hope for an equal relationship between us. I have no intention of harming you. It’s just that so of your behaviors are perhaps too extre, so I offer you slight admonishnts,” Cheng Ziang said earnestly, waving his hand.
Hearing him, Xing Hu revealed a bitter smile, clasped his hands, and said, “The power you possess, Manor Lord, is the very reason you command respect. With such a towering presence before , a junior like dares not look directly—only kneel and gaze up in reverence.”
Cheng Ziang gave him a troubled look, then suddenly struck upon an idea, saying, “Since you respect so much, if my identity were exposed because of you, wouldn’t that be your fault? You’re a sect disciple, so you should naturally know what the Nascent Soul Realm signifies. We don’t want trouble—do you understand?”
“I—I understand,” Xing Hu paused a mont, finally comprehending. He nodded cautiously and said, “Then, please forgive if I offend further, to avoid exposing Manor Lord’s identity.”
“Hmm, see? That’s better,” Cheng Ziang said with a satisfied smile, even though Xing Hu couldn’t see his face at all.
“Hey, done chatting? Then let’s move out,”
Hun Jiansi appeared beside the two of them out of nowhere, ghost-like, startling both Xing Hu and Cheng Ziang.
“You scared to death,” Cheng Ziang blinked, trying hard to recall this person’s identity and their shared mories.
“Who is this?” Xing Hu furrowed his brow, staring at Hun Jiansi intensely before cautiously turning to Cheng Ziang to ask.
“Oh, this is my… partner…” Cheng Ziang hesitated, answering.
He wanted to say servant but felt it would belittle Hun Jiansi; calling her a relative felt overly intimate, leading to his hesitation.
“I see.”
Perhaps due to Hun Jiansi’s low sense of presence, Xing Hu didn’t pay her much attention and simply nodded before looking away.
“Shall we go?” Hun Jiansi said, casually wrapping her arm around Cheng Ziang, as though they were close.
“I don’t recall us being this close, do I?” Cheng Ziang asked a bit awkwardly.
“How can you be so sure about sothing you don’t rember?” Hun Jiansi tilted her head playfully instead of answering.
“Uh…” Cheng Ziang found her question had left him at a loss for words.
“You and I…” Hun Jiansi said, shooting him an ambiguous glance filled with implication, making Cheng Ziang’s back shiver.
Could it be? Had he made a mistake?
Cheng Ziang averted his gaze, lowering his head as he tried to ntally comb through their past interactions, but no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t summon a trace of mory of Hun Jiansi.
“Hey, stop thinking about it, let’s go!” Hun Jiansi tugged on the contemplative Cheng Ziang, urging him.
“Alright…” Cheng Ziang nodded, temporarily shelving his doubts as he let Hun Jiansi lead him off.
She seed to grow increasingly familiar with Cheng Ziang, understanding him better and better. Despite his earlier display of terrifying prowess, unlike Xing Hu, who trembled in fear, Hun Jiansi appeared as unflappable as ever, sothing Cheng Ziang found perplexing.
Without delving further into these thoughts, Cheng Ziang, guided by Hun Jiansi, brought Xing Hu along to the West Market once again. Since their goal this ti was to investigate the matter, Cheng Ziang deliberated and decided to remove his mask to face the public directly.
In truth, the masks were more for cultivating a sense of mystery than for concealing their identities.
From the start, the Advance Team had aid to act high-profile in Kyushu, so there was no real need for masks to hide their faces and identities—it was wholly superfluous.
Cheng Ziang’s revealed face not only captivated Hun Jiansi but also left Xing Hu surprised. For a formidable Nascent Soul Realm practitioner bearing a distinct Yin State accent, Cheng Ziang’s appearance was unmistakably that of a foreigner, sothing Xing Hu found quite extraordinary.
“Wow…”
Upon seeing Cheng Ziang’s handso features, Hun Jiansi slipped into a daze, her eyes practically sparkling like stars.
Though she hadn’t approached Cheng Ziang purely due to his looks, his cold and strikingly handso face now made her feel as though she’d stumbled upon a hidden treasure.
Cheng Ziang helplessly ignored the peculiar stares that swept over him, having grown used to this kind of attention. After all, as an Earthling, regardless of how similar his deanor was to Kyushu natives, he remained an outsider in stark contrast.
Still, with mories stored in his mind, Cheng Ziang navigated this environnt quite adeptly. Before long, he led the duo through the streets and alleys with ease, visiting inns, taverns, and even investigating the slums.
After half a day’s effort, the findings shocked Xing Hu to the core.
What he believed to be a noble senior brother—the innocent victim horribly slain here—turned out to be soone with a terrible reputation in West Market.
Not only did the innkeeper recognize him, but owners of gambling dens and brothels also knew him well, labeling him as a regular patron. His claims of adventuring and honing his practice amounted to indulging thoroughly in worldly pleasures, abandoning his identity as a sect disciple altogether.
As for his death, whether it was the proprietors or the common folk, their verdict was unanimous in celebrating his demise, agreeing he deserved it.
Just a month prior to his death, he had squandered all his resources and began petty theft, criminal acts, and even impersonated bandits for roadside robbery.
He’d exploited the lack of oversight from Guyi Governnt to act recklessly—had this been Hua State, it’s likely he wouldn’t have survived long enough for officials to intervene, as Huayu Ting wouldn’t hesitate to execute anyone threatening familial safety.
The investigation’s results matched Cheng Ziang’s expectations: Xing Hu’s senior brother indeed fell victim to vigilante justice. While Cheng Ziang disapproved of extrajudicial actions, he found the brother’s death justified.
“S-so, it turns out, my senior brother…” Xing Hu slumped against the wall in defeat, evidently still reeling from the revelation.
“You’ve seen for yourself; your senior brother didn’t die unjustly—he got what he deserved,” Cheng Ziang comnted from the side.
“No… No way, how could my senior brother have been like this? He seed… Could it be I’ve been lied to all along?” Xing Hu muttered bitterly, looking distraught.
“So you’d rather trust your senior brother than the countless eyes that witnessed his transgressions?” Cheng Ziang asked with a slight frown.
“How could this happen… After hearing of my senior brother’s tragic demise, I cried for an entire day and vowed to investigate it myself, only to uncover such a result…” Xing Hu clutched his head, falling deeper into his inner turmoil.
“Seems your senior brother hid his true self well before you. Truly, you can only know soone’s face, not their heart,” Cheng Ziang remarked with his hands on his hips, shaking his head in lantation.
Just as he was about to say more, a skinny dog ambled over, whimpering as it staggered towards Cheng Ziang, looking pitiful.
“Misfortune seems contagious—even the dogs you et are unlucky when you’re down on your luck,” Cheng Ziang sighed, squatting down to beckon the dog over.
At that mont, a figure suddenly appeared, kicking the skinny dog away. The dog howled miserably before fleeing with its tail tucked.
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