Chapter 26: You’re Not Entirely to Blame for This

Chapter 26: You Can't Be Entirely Blamed

Every shift in Laudeno’s expression was caught by Zheng Jian’s keen eyes.

“Tsk tsk, such atrocious acting. No wonder even Old Yue saw through him…” Zheng Jian inwardly scoffed. He could say without exaggeration that Laudeno’s acting was inferior even to Yang Tianbao and Chris Wu.

Since Laudeno’s performance was lacking, Zheng Jian had to pick up the slack himself. He glanced over, an idea forming, and smiled, “Ah, Junior Brother Laudeno, wait a moment. I’ll fetch some water—fine tea deserves fine water. The mountain springs of Huashan are sweet and crisp, perfect for this.”

Laudeno’s heart leapt with joy, though his face feigned concern, “Ah, Senior Brother, that’s too much trouble. Why don’t you wait here and let me fetch the water instead?”

Zheng Jian secretly chuckled, deliberately replying, “Oh? How thoughtful of you, Junior Brother. Should I wait here then?”

Laudeno’s expression stiffened. Damn it, I was just being polite—how did it turn into me actually fetching the water?

“This…”

As Laudeno struggled for a response, Zheng Jian burst into laughter, “Just kidding. Since I invited you for tea, how could I let you fetch the water? Wait here, I’ll be back in a moment.”

Laudeno breathed a sigh of relief, forcing a smile, “Then—then I’ll trouble you, Senior Brother…”

Zheng Jian nodded with a smile, picked up the bucket, and left the room.

“Junior Brother, don’t let me down. You probably won’t believe it, but I’ve prepared the original manual for you…” Zheng Jian glanced back at the closed door as he stepped outside, silently thinking.

It was best to let Laudeno steal the sword manual before Old Yue realized what was happening!

Inside the room, Laudeno cautiously peeked through the crack in the door, watching Zheng Jian walk away with the water bucket. Only then did he quietly approach Zheng Jian’s bed.

Though his acting was poor, Laudeno possessed decent skills as an undercover agent. He carefully felt around the bed, soon discovering a slight protrusion deep inside.

“This is it!”

Delighted, Laudeno hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly. He quickly uncovered the bedding and found a small bundle.

With an excited heart and trembling hands, Laudeno slowly unwrapped the bundle, then paused in confusion. “Hm? A monk’s robe? Why isn’t it a manual?”

Laudeno was perplexed. He had noticed Zheng Jian’s nervousness earlier, so why was this only a robe?

He picked up the robe and noticed faint writing on the back. Turning it over, he saw that the fabric was covered with densely packed characters. By candlelight, he immediately spotted the title at the top: “Sword Manual for Dispelling Evil.”

Laudeno was so startled he nearly leapt up; his eyes shone. “This—this is really the ‘Sword Manual for Dispelling Evil’?”

He was familiar with the rumors circulating in the martial world. While Linghu Chong and the others were still young, Laudeno was approaching middle age and knew well that Lin Yuantu, founder of the Fortune Escort Agency, had once shaken both the underworld and the righteous factions thanks to this very sword technique.

His face changed as he read further: “To practice this skill, one must first self-castrate.”

If it weren’t for the aged robe and the timeworn lettering, he would have immediately assumed it was a forgery.

Yet the robe’s antiquity was obvious, and the characters were marked by the passage of years. It was clearly not a new fabrication.

“What should I do?”

Laudeno was caught in a dilemma. With his experience, he couldn’t determine if the manual was genuine, but he could tell the robe itself was real.

“If it’s genuine, even fleeing back to Mount Song would be worthwhile. But if it’s fake, wouldn’t I have betrayed my master’s expectations?” Laudeno hesitated.

After a moment’s contemplation, he decided to risk it. He carefully wrapped up the robe, and seeing that Zheng Jian hadn’t returned, slipped out of the room, abandoning his belongings, and hurried down the mountain under cover of darkness.

Unbeknownst to him, Zheng Jian had been observing Laudeno from the shadows. When he saw Laudeno sneaking away with the bundle, Zheng Jian finally felt relieved. This performance had been exhausting.

…

He waited the entire night, estimating that Laudeno had already left the Huashan region, then hurried to Old Yue’s room, feigning panic.

“Master, Master, please open the door!” Zheng Jian called out anxiously.

“What is it?” Old Yue immediately woke up, opened the door in his nightclothes.

“Master, please dress yourself first… It’s not good for Mistress to overhear this.” Zheng Jian lowered his voice for the last part.

Old Yue nodded, “Wait for me.”

Soon, he emerged fully dressed. “Now, tell me. What is it that must be kept from your Mistress?”

Zheng Jian spoke quietly, “Master, do you know the ‘Sword Manual for Dispelling Evil’?”

Old Yue was startled, pulling Zheng Jian further away to ensure their privacy before asking, “Where did you hear about the ‘Sword Manual for Dispelling Evil’?”

Zheng Jian replied, “I heard about it by chance while traveling. Curious, I went to Fuzhou and learned that Lin Yuantu, founder of the Fortune Escort Agency, once shook both the underworld and righteous factions thanks to this sword technique. Master, is it really as formidable as the legends say?”

Old Yue’s expression turned grave. “Formidable is an understatement. The ‘Sword Technique for Dispelling Evil’ is said to be as swift as a phantom and impossible to predict! But let’s leave that aside for now—what else did you find out?”

Zheng Jian slapped his forehead, looking distressed. “Master, it’s all my fault! By a stroke of luck, I found the manual and intended to bring it back for you to study. But today, when I saw you and Mistress, I was so happy I forgot all about it! Then, while I was fetching water, the manual disappeared!”

“What?” Old Yue’s voice rose in shock. This was outrageous—the manual was within their grasp, and now it had vanished?

If Zheng Jian hadn’t brought it up himself, Old Yue would have suspected him of hiding it on purpose.

But Zheng Jian’s open “confession” made Old Yue believe him a bit more.

“Here’s what happened. I returned and hid the manual under my bed. Just as I finished, Junior Brother Laudeno arrived. We hadn’t seen each other for over a month, so I thought it was a good time to share some fine tea I brought from Fujian. I went to fetch spring water, and then… then…” Zheng Jian looked heartbroken and filled with regret.

Old Yue suddenly understood, “So the manual was stolen? That scoundrel Laudeno! I always suspected he was a spy sent by the Mount Song Sect! No doubt he stole the manual! I must go after him—how long has it been?”

Zheng Jian immediately displayed a mix of surprise, shock, remorse, and fury, “What? Junior Brother Laudeno is a Mount Song spy?”

Old Yue nodded, “That’s right. Frankly, it’s my fault. I kept it from you all, hoping to use the situation to our advantage. That’s how we ended up here… Ah, in truth, you can’t be entirely blamed! You’re still young—you couldn’t have known Laudeno was a traitor…”

Zheng Jian: “…”

…

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(End of chapter)