Even though Leng Shuang persisted for a year, and every time she succeeded, she immediately used a portion of the money to show filial piety to Yan Ba, Yan Ba's attitude towards her remained very indifferent.
Not only were the money and items returned untouched, but he also uttered extremely unpleasant words each time.
Later, Leng Shuang could no longer bear it.
The two sisters even argued about this matter. After the argument, Leng Shuang left.
At that time, Leng Meng did not know that her sister's departure would be a final farewell!
It was only after Leng Shuang left that Yan Ba revealed to Leng Meng the reason why he disliked Leng Shuang.
It can be summarized in a single sentence.
"Heaven strikes the truly filial, wealth favors the ruthless!"
The literal meaning of this saying is that heaven is unjust, striking down the truly filial while allowing the wicked and immoral to prosper.
At first glance, these two sentences seemed to have nothing to do with Leng Shuang, but as an old-school Jianghu figure, Yan Ba's moniker, "Ghost Hand Divine Thief," was not earned in vain.
He had once taken a vow of "Three Thou Shalt Not Steal." They were: not stealing from the elderly, not stealing from students, and not stealing money meant for survival!
It was precisely because he strictly adhered to the "Three Thou Shalt Not Steal" vow and set an example that he was respected by other Jianghu individuals.
Leng Shuang, however, was different.
Although she was Leng Meng's sister, Leng Shuang's personality was worlds apart from the latter.
As early as when the sisters had finished their training and Yan Ba allowed them to venture out on their own, he discovered that only Leng Meng wholeheartedly implemented and adhered to his "Three Thou Shalt Not Steal" principles.
Leng Shuang, on the other hand, was outwardly obedient but inwardly defiant.
It's important to note that Leng Shuang was only twelve or thirteen years old at the time!
Having mastered the art of thievery at such a young age, her sole focus was on maximizing her own benefits.
Therefore, from that point on, Leng Shuang became ruthless and cruel, and she was always the one with the most abundant "spoils."
Initially, considering Leng Shuang's young age, Yan Ba did not admonish her too harshly but instead earnestly advised her a few times.
However, each time, Leng Shuang was two-faced. She would agree wholeheartedly in front of him, only to cast his admonitions aside afterward and continue doing as she pleased.
From then on, Yan Ba completely lost heart in Leng Shuang as his disciple and began to deliberately distance himself from her.
At first, the young and naive Leng Shuang did not pay much attention to this change.
After all, Yan Ba had introduced her to the Jianghu and taught her the skills of thievery.
But as she grew older and her teenage rebellious phase gradually emerged.
Over time, Leng Shuang came to believe that Yan Ba treated her this way entirely because her mastery of thievery had made him unable to accept the outcome of "the student surpassing the master."
Thus, last year, at her wit's end and unable to tolerate it any longer, Leng Shuang resolutely chose to leave.
On the day she left, only Yan Ba noticed Leng Shuang's unusual behavior, and the former earnestly cautioned the latter one last time.
Yan Ba warned Leng Shuang that actions have consequences, and heaven is watching. He advised her not to always think of earning ill-gotten gains, for if one's virtue does not match their position, disaster is inevitable.
As the saying goes: "Easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature!"
Last year, which was 2007, Leng Shuang should have only been 15 years old, in the midst of her youthful ignorance and rebellion. How could she have changed her true nature because of a few words from Yan Ba?
For an old-school Jianghu figure to lecture a 15-year-old girl on such profound matters, to put it mildly: who in their right mind would listen!
According to Leng Meng, she rarely saw Leng Shuang from that time onwards. The last time they met was at the end of last year.
And that time, Leng Shuang did not come alone; she brought Shi Jianguo with her.
Hearing this, I was immediately filled with admiration for Yan Ba.
This old Jianghu veteran truly had a keen eye for people!
Yan Ba's two pronouncements about Leng Shuang back then were indeed prophetic!
"Heaven strikes the truly filial, wealth favors the ruthless!"
These two individuals were indeed both ruthless and wicked characters! They were capable of being utterly unscrupulous and immoral for the sake of profit.
At this point, the story Leng Meng was telling concluded.
...
It wasn't until Leng Meng's emotions gradually calmed down that I slowly asked, "Then... what happened later?"
To be honest, the moment I asked, I immediately regretted it.
Wasn't I just bringing up a sore subject?
As expected, before I could finish speaking, I saw Leng Meng's expression, which had just softened, change instantly.
After her chest heaved rapidly, tears seemed to well up in Leng Meng's eyes.
But immediately, the crystalline tears were instantly evaporated by the surging, sky-high rage.
Wiping away the tears from the corner of her eyes, Leng Meng gritted her teeth and replied word by word, "Later, I received a phone call and only then did I find out that..."
According to Leng Meng's recollection, on the evening of New Year's Eve, she, as in previous years, waited early in her rented room for Leng Shuang to return, intending for the two sisters to celebrate the New Year and have a reunion dinner happily.
However, after waiting in vain, Leng Meng did not receive Leng Shuang, but instead, a call from the police station.
The police only revealed one piece of information over the phone: to identify a body!
On the New Year's Eve that should have been a night of reunion, instead of her sister returning, she received news of her death.
Hearing this, I thought that if I were Leng Meng, and the only family member I had in the world to rely on had died so inexplicably... I would have collapsed on the spot!
At the same time, I understood that Leng Shuang's death must have been related to that Shi Jianguo.
And Leng Meng's subsequent words also confirmed my deduction.
"They said my sister died from being struck on the head with a heavy object, but since they didn't find any murder weapon at the scene, the specific conclusion would have to wait for the autopsy report," she said.
"At that time, I was completely distraught, my mind consumed with how my sister died, and I didn't pay attention to anything else."
"So, I followed their suggestion and had my sister's body cremated."
"It was only after the cremation, when the autopsy report came out, that the conclusion was different from what they had initially said!"
Hearing this, an inexplicable rage suddenly surged within me: "Hell is empty, and all the devils are here on earth!"
At this moment, Leng Meng had gradually calmed down. She looked at me and nodded slightly, saying, "Exactly!"
"Therefore... I want to avenge my sister in my own way! To clear her name!"
"After investigating for more than half a year, I finally found out that the last place my sister appeared was at Su He Bar."
"And the last person who was with her... was precisely Shi Jianguo!"