“You’re Hou Shen, right?” Mei Qing said to Hou Shen, who was bound in chains. “It seems you have a reputation in the martial world as the ‘Divine Monkey.'”
“So you know my fame, why are you still wasting words? If you’ve got the guts, just give me a quick death. If not, release me at once!” Hou Shen wasn’t particularly old, of medium build, slightly gaunt, with long arms and legs. His face was unremarkable, but his eyes were extremely lively, darting about as he spoke with an air of arrogant indifference. Who would have thought this fellow would still be so brazen, even as a captured prisoner, spouting off with such insolence.
“Insolent!” shouted Zhao Dayou, his beard bristling with indignation. “You little thief, you still haven’t learned to behave even after being caught! You’re just asking for a beating!”
Hou Shen stood stiff-necked, glaring fiercely at Zhao Dayou, which only enraged Zhao further, making him shout loudly and reach out to strike. But Mei Qing waved a hand, stopping Zhao from acting out his anger.
“Fame?” Mei Qing’s face bore a half-smile, half-laugh. “I’ve heard you’re quite formidable, even the last disciple of Master Tie Sancun, known for ‘never leaving empty-handed and entering any room.’ But I didn’t expect… it’s all just hot air. Don’t glare at me like that. Anyone can boast; if you’re so capable, how come you were caught by me, a mere scholar with no martial skills? Talking big now, if word gets out, not only will you be disgraced, but even Master Tie Sancun, who has retired from the martial world, would die of shame.”
Hou Shen, who had been feigning calm, was suddenly provoked by Mei Qing’s words. He spat and said sharply, “Hmph, pretty boy, don’t pretend to be someone important in front of me! You just got lucky catching me; what’s so impressive about that? Kill me or let me go, just decide!”
“Good luck?” Mei Qing sneered. “This official looks down on people like you the most. If you’re inferior in skill, just admit it and show some humility. Don’t blame luck for everything. Do you think bragging will scare anyone?”
“Who’s bragging? You just got lucky, what do you mean by inferior skill? If you’re so capable, release me and see if you can catch me again!” Hou Shen shouted furiously.
Mei Qing looked at Hou Shen with a meaningful gaze and said coldly, “Nonsense! Under the vast skies of the Ming Dynasty, if I released you, this monkey could hide in any corner and become a turtle with its head tucked in, of course I wouldn’t be able to find you! And you still have the nerve to say that!”
“Who’s a turtle with its head tucked in!” Hou Shen screamed. “If you dare to release me, I’ll steal your treasure house clean, and then we’ll see who’s the one bragging!”
Mei Qing laughed and said, “Really? Hou Shen, how about we make a bet?”
“What kind of bet?” Hou Shen glared at Mei Qing.
Mei Qing slowly took out an inkstone from his sleeve, placed it on the table in front of him, and said, “Hou Shen, this is what you desire, right? I will return this bag and its contents to the treasury. If you’re daring enough to take up the challenge, come and steal it. If you can truly accomplish such a remarkable feat, I will forget past grievances. And from that day onward, I will address you as ‘Master Hou’ whenever we meet. How does that sound?”
Hou Shen sneered and said, “Fine, if you dare to let me out, see if I can steal it!”
“If you can’t steal it and get caught again, what then?” Mei Qing asked.
“If I can’t steal it, I’ll call you master!” Hou Shen grumbled.
Mei Qing’s face turned cold as he said sternly, “Hou Shen, don’t think you can get away with just a little flattery! You were the one who boasted about being able to steal from the treasury, you were the one who claimed to be so capable! If you fail again, is this all the stakes you’re willing to put up? You, the mighty ‘Divine Monkey,’ are only worth being called ‘Master Hou’? As a prisoner, I’m giving you this chance out of respect for your master. Do you really think you can get away with such a half-hearted bet? What a great ability you have!”
Hou Shen’s face turned red from Mei Qing’s words. He clenched his neck and shouted, “Then what do you say? If you catch me again, I’ll take your surname!”
“Good, that’s exactly what I wanted to hear,” Mei Qing said, staring straight at Hou Shen. “I don’t need you to change your surname. All I ask is that if I catch you again, you will serve me, Mei Qing, for life, obeying my every command. What do you say?”
Hou Shen looked at Mei Qing’s confident expression and suddenly felt a bit uneasy. He felt like he had been tricked by this clean-cut officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. But by now, there was no turning back; to back out now would mean he couldn’t show his face in public anymore. He had no choice but to stubbornly say, “Fine, I’ll take the bet. Who’s afraid of you anyway!”
“Good,” Mei Qing nodded. “Zhao, remove Hou’s restraints and send him out.”
Zhao was stunned. He couldn’t believe that after all the effort they had put into capturing this fellow, Mei Qing was going to release him just like that, as if it were a joke. However, this Mei Qing was highly favored by the Sixth Master, who had explicitly stated that Mei Qing should have full authority over this matter. What more could he do? He immediately fetched the keys and removed Hou Shen’s chains.
Hou Shen slightly stretched his limbs and rubbed his wrists, his face dark and silent. After a while, he said to Mei Qing, “Are you really going to let me go like this, Master Mei? Aren’t you afraid I’ll break my word and disappear?”
Mei Qing smiled and said, “I have already sent a letter to your master, Master Tie. Some news might inevitably leak out on the martial path. If Master Hou dares to do such a thing, then by all means, go ahead. To be honest, if that were to happen, even if you begged me on your knees to accept you as my subordinate, I wouldn’t dare to take you in—I’d be too ashamed.”
“Fine! You win!” Hou Shen gritted his teeth in anger. “I’ll definitely come to steal the inkstone within three days. Just wait and see!”
“No problem. I’ve already prepared the whip and the cage. Just come whenever you’re ready!”
Hou Shen left without another word, lifting his feet and walking away. His leather bag and dagger were his prized possessions, but since Mei Qing didn’t mention them, he didn’t dare to ask for them back. He had to focus on preparing for the bet first.
After Hou Shen left, Mei Qing smiled at Zhao Dayou and said, “Zhao, this bet I’ve made with Hou Shen is of great importance. There are several critical matters that need preparation, and I’ll need your help.”
Zhao Dayou, upon hearing Mei Qing’s words, grinned from ear to ear and said repeatedly, “No problem, no problem. Master Mei, just give me your orders, and I’ll make sure everything is handled properly for you!”
Mei Qing whispered a few instructions to him, explaining in detail before finally saying, “These matters are the most critical and must not have any errors. I’ll trouble you to take care of them. When we catch this kid later, I’ll definitely host a banquet to thank you, my good brother.”
Zhao Dayou waved his hand repeatedly and said, “Master Mei, you’re too kind to old Zhao! It’s just a few items and a few tasks, right? I guarantee everything will be perfect! I’ll go handle it right away!” Saying that, he excused himself and left, holding the teapot and looking very pleased.
“Is that all?” the Sixth Master asked Wu Bing, who was standing in front of him.
Wu Bing, still expressionless, calmly replied, “In addition to the tasks assigned to Zhao Dayou, Mei Qing has also rearranged the duty schedule for the treasury, changing the shifts of several people. In my opinion, Mei Qing seems to place particular trust in Yao Dingguo and Zhou Chang. Qian San, who was injured in the shoulder during his encounter with the thief, has been temporarily sent home by Mei Qing under the pretext of needing rest for recovery. Now, the key to the small treasury is in Zhao Dayou’s possession alone. Moreover, Mei Qing visited the Records Office and retrieved all the case files related to thefts in recent years from Huang Zhongman. Later, he also spent some time at the Confucius Temple, bought some items, and here is the list.”
The Sixth Master looked at the list in his hand, thought for a moment, and gradually a meaningful smile appeared on his face. “This kid! He really has some cunning tricks!” Thinking for a while, he added, “You should also keep an eye on things these days. If there are some matters where you can lend a hand, help that kid out—this kid is quite clever, and he might even come to you for help. Also, go and call the Sun brothers over.”
Wu Bing immediately left. Soon, two people with distinctive appearances entered. The Sixth Master gave them a few instructions and then quietly ordered them to leave. After that, he sat alone in the room, silent for a long time.
After a long while, a hidden door in the corner of the room opened, and a man came out—it was Zhong Shu, the steward of Mei Qing’s residence. Looking worried, Zhong Shu approached the Sixth Master, who was sitting at the desk, and said, “What do you want from me at this late hour, old man? Can’t you handle anything smoothly?”
The Sixth Master turned his head, his expression calm. “Old friend, things are getting more interesting now.”
Mei Qing sat cross-legged, his mind connected with Bi Zhen’s. After a few warm words, he asked, “Zhen’er, do you know of any cultivator named Mo in the cultivation world?”
Bi Zhen replied, “If you’re talking about a cultivator named Mo, the most famous one would be Mo Yue Ding, the former sect leader of the Divine Thunder Sect. However, he was defeated in a battle with Zhang Liu Sun, the leader of the Xuanjiao Sect, during the early unification of the Zhengyi Sect in the Yuan Dynasty, and both his body and soul were destroyed.”
Mei Qing suddenly understood. Bi Zhen had told him about this before, but at that time, Mei Qing’s mind was unstable, and he had to rely on the protection of the Dingjia spirits, so he had overlooked these details. Hearing Bi Zhen mention it again today, he immediately realized that the red-robed Daoist priest he had seen in the inkstone, surrounded by five golden talismans and dying in an explosion, must have been Mo Yue Ding, the leader of the Divine Thunder Sect.
If that was the case, then the person within the inkstone must have been Zhang Liu Sun, the leader of the Xuanjiao Sect. However, he couldn’t understand why he had felt such a strong connection with that individual, nor could he explain the many strange occurrences. It was said that Zhang Liu Sun had perished long ago in a lightning calamity during his attempt to ascend, his body and soul utterly destroyed. Furthermore, this inkstone had been presented to the current dynasty by a local official, so there was absolutely no way it could be related to Zhang Liu Sun.
Furthermore, even if, by some stretch of the imagination, this inkstone did indeed belong to Zhang Liu Sun and contained some secrets about him, what did that have to do with Mei Qing? Why had he repeatedly felt a connection with this inkstone?
When he had sensed those scenes within the inkstone, it wasn’t like watching a play. The pride and joy of defeating Mo Yue Ding, the pain of being struck by purple lightning, the anger of being betrayed and burned by purple flames, and the complex emotions toward that woman named Mei Ji—all of these feelings were as if he had experienced them himself.
Bi Zhen noticed that Mei Qing had remained silent for quite some time and sent out her spiritual awareness to check on her. Back then, when Mei Qing had told Bi Zhen about breaking the丹seal and the incident with the inkstone, she hadn’t gone into much detail, and Bi Zhen hadn’t paid much attention. Now, hearing Mei Qing ask about a cultivator named Mo, she couldn’t help but feel intrigued.
There was no need to hide anything from Bi Zhen, so Mei Qing briefly recounted the entire story of the inkstone to her. Bi Zhen was surprised to learn that the inkstone had such a history and found it very intriguing. As Mei Qing described the scenes he had seen within the inkstone, she also believed that the Daoist priest must have been Mo Yue Ding. Hearing about the bet with Hou Shen, she found it quite amusing.
“Do you think you can handle it? If not, I can help you think of a way,” Bi Zhen offered.
“I think it should be fine,” Mei Qing smiled. “If I can’t handle it, I’ll ask for your help. Also, there’s something else I need your help with. I want to track an object and know its location from a distance. Is there any magical technique that can do that?”
Bi Zhen thought for a moment before replying, “There should be a talisman for that. It probably isn’t a very difficult technique. I’ll ask my grandmother tomorrow and let you know. Don’t be careless; make sure you catch that little monkey.”
At that moment, Hou Shen was hiding outside the treasure house of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, glaring at the entrance with his teeth clenched tightly.
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