The Martial Arts World is Full of Experts Chapter 25 Part 1

76

It was still early in the morning.

If they hurry and find the person mentioned by Puyang Jing, then there might still be time to figure out a way to salvage the situation.

Zhang Xiaoyuan stared at Puyang Jing's head, and after a moment, finally saw several lines of text popping up above his head.

「Morning intel: There's an old beggar in the city named Six Fingers, a member of the Beggars Sect. He often trades in martial arts world's information, possibly connected to the late Emperor's orphan. He hasn't been alarmed yet. Kept three people tailing him.」

「Why is he in the Emperor's chamber?」

「What's his relationship with the Emperor?」

「Why him?」

Huh...

What was happening in the next three sentences?!

Could it be that there were others in Zhao Chengyang's room? Did Zhao Chengyang decide to delay meeting Six Fingers because of that person?

The person most likely having ambiguous relations with the emperor was named Xiao Mobai.

So... why was Xiao Mobai in Zhao Chengyang's room early in the morning? And why would Zhao Chengyang wait until the afternoon to meet Six Fingers?

Zhang Xiaoyuan felt like perhaps spending too much time with Wen Tingting had made his imagination lose control, and now he couldn't help but start overthinking!

He knocked on his own head, deciding to close the window and put an end to his wild thoughts.

Just before closing the window, in his final glance, he saw Zhao Chengyang slightly opening the door, while Xiao Mobai, clad in the outer robe Zhao Chengyang wore yesterday, stood by the door, even giving a faint smile to Puyang Jing.

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

Had he guessed it right?!

The hand that was closing the window froze in midair. His eyes widened eyes, watching as "Dog Emperor" once again appeared above Puyang Jing's head.

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

Wait, could it be?

Why did Puyang Jing curse Zhao Chengyang as the Dog Emperor?

His face filled with terror. Before he could process much, he suddenly saw words drifting by outside the window.

「Aaaaaaaaaaaaah, in the end, it turned out to be them?!」

「I shed tears for Commander Puyang!」

Zhang Xiaoyuan, frightened, looked over and indeed saw Wen Tingting in the courtyard, holding onto Pidun.

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

Zhang Xiaoyuan closed the window, unwilling to see any more.

77

Lu Zhaoming came back with hot water and noticed Zhang Xiaoyuan staring at him eagerly.

Lu Zhaoming, feeling a bit odd under his gaze, frowned. "What's wrong?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "Eldest Senior Brother, do you remember last night you promised to get a new scabbard?"

Lu Zhaoming: "I remember."

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "Since we're not training today, I'll go to the market and order a new one for you!"

Lu Zhaoming was slightly taken aback. "I'll go with you."

"No need," Zhang Xiaoyuan said, "It's a surprise. Haven't you heard that seeing a new scabbard is the real surprise!"

"You're going alone?" Lu Zhaoming seemed a bit concerned. "Your foot..."

"It's much better today." Zhang Xiaoyuan took a few steps on the ground. "Besides, I'm just going to wander around the county. There's no danger."

Lu Zhaoming reluctantly nodded, "Alright."

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "But the scabbard needs to match the sword, Eldest Senior Brother. I might need to borrow your sword..."

He said this with a hint of hesitation, aware that for martial artists, a sword was almost like their life and wouldn't easily be parted with. He just wanted an excuse to slip out and find Six Fingers. If Eldest Senior Brother refused to lend him the sword, he might have to come up with another excuse.

Unexpectedly, Lu Zhaoming acted decisively, unfastening his sword and handing it over.

"Be careful," Lu Zhaoming wasn't sure what advice to give, so he settled on, "I'll wait for you to come back for dinner."

Zhang Xiaoyuan patted his chest and reassured, "Don't worry!"

The next step was to locate Puyang Jing's people.

Looking around, Six Fingers and Little Lame always stayed in busy places with a constant flow of people. There were many pedestrians and vendors around, making it initially challenging to identify who among them was the spy left by the Heavenly Mysterious Shadow Guards. But for Zhang Xiaoyuan, it wasn't too difficult. Glancing around, he noticed words popping up above people's heads, and before long, he spotted three individuals with the Heavenly Mysterious Shadow Guards label.

A loving couple selecting fabric and accessories, and a big brother enjoying a play in a teahouse along the road.

Interestingly, the wife in the loving couple seemed to be a man dressed as a woman.

With someone like Puyang Jing as the commander, subordinates learning this special skill seemed quite normal.

They were merely keeping an eye on Six Fingers without taking further action. Zhang Xiaoyuan took a deep breath, about to approach, when he recognized a familiar figure.

It was Xing Yan, whom he hadn't seen for several days.

She walked up to Six Fingers, tossed a silver ingot into his bowl, and inquired, "What's the identity of those newcomers in the county office?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan cautiously surveyed the surroundings. The Heavenly Mysterious Shadow Guards indeed knew about Six Fingers' usual dealings. When Xing Yan asked for information, they showed no surprise and made no attempt to interfere.

Indeed, in Puyang Jing's eyes, Zhao Chengyang's quest in Fengji County to find his older brother was unknown to outsiders. Naturally, there was no need for anyone to disrupt things. He didn't require excessive precautions.

Six Fingers glanced at Xing Yan, this time refusing to take the silver. He just pursed his lips and said, "We won't do this business."

Xing Yan was puzzled. "Won't do?"

Six Fingers nodded. "Can't talk about it."

Xing Yan frowned, pondering, as if starting to understand.

"Protector Xing, I advise you not to ask too much," Six Fingers chuckled, "Rest assured, they're not here to trouble your young master."

Xing Yan also didn't retract the silver, just nodded. "I understand. Use the silver to buy yourself some drinks."

She turned away, keeping an eye on those three individuals who continued their previous activities. They glanced at her at most and didn't take any further action.

Zhang Xiaoyuan took a deep breath, knowing it was his turn to step in.

Six Fingers raised his head slowly. Zhang Xiaoyuan's face was hidden under the lowered bamboo hat. Unable to discern, Six Fingers tried to judge his identity from the weapon, but Zhang Xiaoyuan had wrapped Eldest Senior Brother's sword securely. Even from the outside, it was impossible to tell whether it was a sword or a long dagger. Six Fingers had to give up and asked, "What does the hero want to know?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan crouched in front of him, lowered his voice, and said slowly, "I'm asking if you still want to keep this life."

Six Fingers scrutinized him seriously, then chuckled after a moment. "Is the hero threatening an old beggar?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan replied, "I want to save your life."

Finally, Six Fingers became serious, stared at him, and asked, "What do you mean?"

"The couple in front of the fabric store, and the bearded man in the teahouse," Zhang Xiaoyuan said, "They're all keeping an eye on you."

He believed that an old martial artist like Six Fingers, with just a hint, could quickly sense that something was amiss with those tailing him.

Indeed, Six Fingers seemed to furrow his brows slightly, expressing some confusion. "Who are they?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "Can't say."

Six Fingers: "......"

"They want to ask you about something," Zhang Xiaoyuan said, "You need to decide whether to tell them about that matter."

Unease filled Six Fingers. "What matter?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "A matter concerning the country, and also a matter concerning a family."

Six Fingers seemed to understand.

Besides Puyang Jing's Heavenly Mysterious Shadow Guards, who else could it be?

And if it concerned both the country and a family, what else could it involve beyond the whereabouts of the emperor's brother?

"Family matters are difficult, and national matters are even more challenging," Zhang Xiaoyuan subtly hinted, "For an acre of land, one might fight to the death, but for the whole world..."

He stopped, smiled faintly, and said, "The words end here. Take care of yourself."