Chapter 203: The Trustworthy Cripple
Qin Mu heard this news and furrowed his brow slightly, glancing at the Yan Kang National Master beside him. The National Master’s face showed grief as he said, “I should go to the Town Prince’s mansion to offer my condolences.”
Qin Mu lowered his voice and asked, “National Master, why did the Town Prince rebel?”
“He isn’t rebelling against the emperor; he’s rebelling against me for the sake of his Ling family’s dynasty.”
The Yan Kang National Master said softly, “My power has grown too great, making him uneasy. He felt I would inevitably overthrow the Ling family’s rule. You’re right, I should start a family. Heaven’s principles must be upheld, but human desires also have their place.”
Qin Mu’s expression turned strange.
Someone like the Yan Kang National Master starting a family? It was somewhat absurd, yet it was about to happen.
“I need to return to the mansion first and change into plain clothes. The Town Prince rendered meritorious service to the nation. Though he didn’t approve of my way of handling things, he was a man worthy of respect. I must pay my respects.”
The National Master parted ways with him, saying, “Once we reach the capital, you won’t need to trouble yourself with my injuries anymore.”
Qin Mu nodded. The National Master had been ambushed and severely injured before, but his wounds had long since healed, indicating that he must have a divine physician by his side. Once in the capital, Qin Mu’s services for treating his injuries would no longer be needed.
The Yan Kang National Master returned to the National Master’s mansion. Suddenly, a sense of vigilance arose in him. He didn’t enter through the main gate but jumped directly into the mansion. Looking around, he saw that all the prohibitions and seals in the mansion were intact.
Still, he didn’t let his guard down. He said in a deep voice, “Elder Fu? Yuan Qing?”
No sound came back. The National Master’s mansion was eerily quiet.
The National Master walked deeper inside. When he reached the main hall, he saw several servants and guards tied up tightly, stacked on top of each other like a human pyramid.
The National Master frowned. Then he spotted Fu Yuanqing, the Little Poison King, stripped naked, tied up with ropes, and hanging from the ceiling of the hall. His tongue was sticking out, and a golden rope was tied around it, with a large iron weight hanging from the rope. It was impossible to tell how heavy it was.
The National Master frowned. A flash of sword light from his fingertip cut the golden rope and then severed the ropes binding Fu Yuanqing. Fu Yuanqing fell heavily to the ground. Only then did the National Master realize that all of his cultivation had been sealed, even the divine treasures within his body, rendering him completely unable to use any of his power.
The National Master unsealed him and then unsealed all the other servants and guards. His face darkened as he asked, “What happened?”
“I don’t know.”
Fu Yuanqing shook his head, ashamed. “I didn’t see anything before I was sealed. Then I was hung up. Still without seeing anything, my tongue was pulled out and a heavy iron weight was attached to it. I couldn’t even call for help!”
“Master, is our mansion haunted?”
The servants also looked terrified. “I didn’t see anything either, and then I was stacked up and couldn’t move!”
“Haunted?”
The National Master shook his head. “It’s not a ghost. It’s a person whose speed was so fast that you couldn’t even see him. I know who this is. He broke into my mansion, taking advantage of my absence, to retrieve his leg. If I’m not mistaken, the treasury where I keep my treasures should be empty now.”
He led the group to the treasury. The seals on the treasury were still intact, untouched.
Fu Yuanqing breathed a sigh of relief and laughed. “National Master, you were wrong. The seals are still there. The thief probably couldn’t break your seals, so he didn’t touch anything in the treasury.”
The National Master sighed. “Phantom-like formlessness, stealing heaven and replacing the sun. Why would he need to break the seals? He can pass directly through them without touching them at all. The treasury is indeed empty.”
The others didn’t believe him.
The National Master opened the seals and pushed the door open. Inside, the room that had held all kinds of treasures was completely empty, cleaned out spotlessly.
On the wall directly opposite the door, there had originally hung a painting—the Sword God Carrying a Sword, painted by the Crown Prince of the Tian Tu Kingdom. That painting was also gone.
In its place was a crooked, ugly piece of writing: “National Master, I’ve taken my leg back. I’ve gratefully accepted all your collected treasures. I took good care of your servants, so don’t worry. Oh, and I slept in your bed. After waking up, I left a pile of shit on it. I also brewed a pot of fragrant tea for you in your study. Our grudges are settled. No need to thank me!”
The National Master’s face darkened. He quickly turned and went to the bedroom. Lifting the blanket, a foul stench hit him. He covered his nose and waved his hand. “Elder Fu, throw it out! Throw it out!”
Elder Fu quickly bundled up the blanket and the mattress, but the entire bed still reeked. Elder Fu asked, “Master, should we throw away the bed too?”
“Throw it away!”
The National Master waved his hand and hurried to the study. A sour smell filled the room. The teapot was filled with a yellow liquid, clearly not tea.
The National Master flicked his sleeve, sending the teapot and teacups flying out the window. His face was livid. “Bastard! Taking his own leg is one thing, but eating, drinking, sleeping, and shitting in my mansion, disturbing my peace! Elder Fu, prepare new tea sets and bedding.”
Elder Fu hesitated for a moment. “Master, we don’t have much money left at home…”
The National Master was taken aback. He pondered for a moment. “The emperor’s rewards won’t come for a few more days. My monthly salary is paid once a month, but it’s only settled at the beginning of the month. Is this month’s salary gone?”
Elder Fu said, “Master took most of the salary with him on this trip. The money left behind was used for gifts for the birthdays of noble ministers and for newborn children. A few days ago, the Empress Dowager’s birthday in the palace required a gift, and the palace even complained it was too shabby.”
The National Master’s head ached. “The Town Prince has passed away, so I need to prepare a gift as well. Is there really no money left at home? Is there anything we can pawn?”
“Well…”
Elder Fu hesitated and didn’t answer. The National Master looked around. Although the mansion wasn’t small, it had very little furniture, and there was hardly anything worth pawning.
He had always believed that indulging in material pleasures would corrupt one’s will, so he kept everything simple—food, clothing, and daily necessities. He had no antiques or collectibles. The things he gathered were often strange and unusual, like the cripple’s divine leg or the Crown Prince of the Tian Tu Kingdom’s painting. And those very things had been stolen by that divine thief who had sneaked into his home.
“Can I advance my salary?”
Elder Fu asked, “Master, do you want to lose face?”
The National Master hesitated. “Can I borrow some money?”
Elder Fu shook his head. “With the war going on, the few friends you’re close to are all out on campaign and not at home. Besides, you’ve borrowed from them many times before and never repaid. People will gossip. Their heads of household aren’t around. If I go to borrow money, who would agree? Unless you go personally.”
The National Master pondered. “My painting skills are passable. I can paint and sell them for some money.”
Elder Fu asked, “Will you sign your name?”
The National Master shook his head. “If I sign my name, anyone who buys my painting would be bribing me. I won’t sign.”
Elder Fu shook his head. “Then your paintings won’t sell.”
The National Master was exasperated. “How do you know they won’t sell? I’ve collected the Crown Prince of the Tian Tu Kingdom’s paintings and copied them countless times. I dare not say I can rival the Painting Sage, but I’m still decent, aren’t I?”
“Master, what kind of place is the capital? Famous scholars are as numerous as carp crossing a river, but how many can make a living from calligraphy and painting? Most of them are starving to the bone. How do you think your painting skills compare to theirs?”
Elder Fu continued, “However, your disciples could lend you some money.”
“Borrowing money from my disciples? I can’t bring myself to do that.”
The National Master suddenly thought of Qin Mu and smiled. “I know someone who has money and can lend it to me. He’s generous with his spending. When he bought medicine for me, he often paid the bill. Otherwise, my meager salary would have run out long ago. He’s not in the court, so borrowing from him isn’t shameful. I’ll go borrow some money. Wait for me here.”
Qin Mu returned to the Imperial Academy’s scholar residence. As soon as he stepped inside, he caught the scent of medicinal herbs. The fragrance seemed to be coming from his own courtyard, and he was puzzled.
The scholar residence had dedicated servants to manage it. Although they were servants, many of them also attended lectures in the halls, so their cultivation and strength were not to be underestimated. Some servants were even stronger than the scholars. In the history of the Imperial Academy, many servants had cultivated extraordinary abilities, rising from servants to scholars, gaining promotions and titles, and becoming renowned generals.
With servants guarding the scholar residence, it was basically impossible for outsiders to sneak in.
Qin Mu led the Dragon Qilin and Fox Ling’er into his courtyard. There, he saw large and small bundles of medicinal herbs piled up, along with medicine cauldrons and furnaces.
The medicine cauldrons and furnaces were extraordinary, their surfaces engraved with remarkable patterns. They were clearly precious treasures, no less impressive than the treasures Qin Mu had looted from the Loulan Golden Palace!
Inside one cauldron was a leg, and inside another furnace was an arm.
Seeing the leg and arm, Qin Mu was momentarily stunned. He said to Fox Ling’er and the Dragon Qilin, “Wait outside the courtyard. Don’t let anyone enter my home.”
Fox Ling’er and the Dragon Qilin got up and left the courtyard. Qin Mu turned back and saw the Dragon Qilin squeezing through the door frame, making it creak. He shook his head, thinking to himself, “This guy has been eating too much lately. Sooner or later, he’ll break my door, and I’ll have to replace it again.”
He pushed open the door to the main hall and saw two middle-aged men sitting inside. The Cripple was clean and neatly dressed, his hair slick and shiny, and a golden rope tied his beard under his chin. His clothes were also quite refined.
Ma Ye sat across from him, dressed in a simple blue cloth robe, not as flashy as the Cripple’s clothes. One of his sleeves hung empty. He looked travel-worn, as if he had just arrived. His temples were graying, and his hair was a bit disheveled.
When they saw Qin Mu walk in, the Cripple showed a simple, honest smile, and even Ma Ye’s cold face cracked into a slight smile.
“Ma Ye, Cripple Grandpa…”
Qin Mu’s heart was moved, and his eyes reddened slightly. “Did you come to see me?”
“No,” Ma Ye said.
Qin Mu felt a pang in his chest. The Cripple laughed. “You’re living much more comfortably than we are. Why would we come to see you? We picked you up. Would we travel thousands of miles just to visit you? Don’t flatter yourself.”
Qin Mu said angrily, “You did come to see me!”
The Cripple shook his head. “I only came to have you help me reattach my leg. Take a look and see if my leg is still alive.”
“No.”
The Cripple snapped, “You little brat, getting cocky, are you? We didn’t come to see you!”
Ma Ye coughed softly and said unhurriedly, “If you didn’t come to see him, why didn’t you take your leg to a pharmacist instead of coming to him? Stop teasing him. Look, he’s about to cry.”
“I’m not about to cry,” Qin Mu said stubbornly.
“Alright, alright. Don’t get red-eyed. I did come to see you. I just came back from the National Master’s mansion. I stayed there for a while and helped myself to a few things. See that leg in the cauldron?”
The old man said smugly, “That’s my leg! I took it back from the National Master’s mansion. The National Master couldn’t do a thing about it. He could only watch helplessly as I took my leg!”
Qin Mu was silent for a moment, then showed a simple, honest smile. “Cripple Grandpa, the National Master and I just returned from out of town. Which National Master was in the National Master’s mansion?”
The Cripple stared at him with wide eyes. Qin Mu didn’t back down and stared back. The smiles on both their faces were almost identically simple and honest, giving off a trustworthy vibe—the kind that would make you still believe they were trustworthy even if they stabbed you.
————Third chapter! Over nine thousand words completed today. Another day of going all out!