However, the moment Leng Meng appeared, the anger on Han Jinlun's face vanished completely.
Before I could speak, Han Jinlun, who had resumed his lecherous gaze upon seeing the beautiful woman, immediately changed his expression and said with a smile, "My apologies, beautiful lady! I made a mistake, a mistake!"
"I was chasing a thief, and you're so beautiful, you surely can't be a thief!"
"Uh... to express my apology, I'll pay for the door I kicked down!"
"Allow me to introduce myself, I am the one who punches Jinling and treads upon Xingjia..."
"Graceful but not vulgar, sexy but not offensive, known as Richard Gere of Longxi, the charming and charismatic Bed... the righteous little whirlwind, sworn to be an eternal enemy of thieves, Han Jinlun!"
Han Jinlun had thought that with his lightning-fast reflexes and his preemptive apology, he would surely win the favor of the beautiful woman before him.
However, the reality was...
In the cramped and shabby room, Leng Meng and an old man with white hair were sitting at a small square table, their gazes shifting back and forth between the three of us with a hint of surprise.
Even though Yu Shuang and the others were not here, it didn't mean that this Leng Meng, who was not Leng Meng, was not truly Leng Meng.
So, I also took this opportunity to start sizing up Leng Meng, and especially the old man with white hair.
The first impression the white-haired old man gave me was: a drunkard!
There were no proper appetizers on the small square table, only a plate of stir-fried mushrooms with vegetables and scrambled eggs with tomatoes. The bowl in front of the old man already had more than half of the wine consumed!
Thus, after Han Jinlun finished speaking, both our groups silently and tacitly watched each other.
However, this silent understanding lasted for less than a minute before it was broken.
It wasn't Han Jinlun, but Leng Meng.
The moment Leng Meng saw me, she stealthily reached into her pocket.
When she brought her hand out again, a sharp, willow-leaf-thin knife was already between her slender fingers.
The moment the knife appeared between Leng Meng's fingers, she performed a "butterfly through flowers" maneuver.
Through the window, the midday sun shone directly down. The small knife, used as a butterfly through flowers, instantly reflected streaks of cold, sharp light from its incredibly sharp blade.
"So it's you, you drunkard!!!"
"The fact that you could find this place means you've been watching me in secret for some time!"
"I never thought your skill at playing the victim like Zhu Bajie was so impressive!"
"This morning, I wasn't following you at all; you were following me!!!"
"Were you worried that I might recognize you, so you decided to accuse me first?"
Upon hearing this, I did not retort. Instead, I kept my gaze fixed on the white-haired old man.
Not receiving an answer from me, Leng Meng directly pointed at me and yelled, "You stinking drunkard! Say something!"
"Don't think you can get away with it by pretending to be deaf and mute!"
After speaking, Leng Meng slowly stood up, holding the sharp little knife, and stared at me coldly.
Her demeanor was like those characters in TV dramas who were ready to fight at any moment if they disagreed.
And I, from beginning to end, remained silent, staring intently at the white-haired old man.
There was no other reason; the old man's presence felt... too dangerous!
If you were to ask what people of the Rong Sect feared most, besides being caught red-handed, it would be the act of having their lairs raided, which concerned their very lives!
Having one's lair raided meant that one had already been targeted.
To put it bluntly, members of the Rong Sect would rather have the police raid their lairs than people from the various unsavory elements of the jianghu.
If the police came, it was mostly a matter of serving time in prison.
But if people from the jianghu came, it was different.
Even if it wasn't the last meal before execution, it was not far from it.
But this old man was something else! Not only was he silent like me, but he also watched me and Han Jinlun with a smile.
It seemed as if he didn't take the three of us seriously at all!
As for who this white-haired old man was, my heart... already had a vague answer.
However, I couldn't be completely sure yet.
Just as I was hesitating whether to use a "chun dian" to test the old man, he... spoke first.
After draining the wine in his bowl, the white-haired old man stood up, clenched his right fist, and held his left thumb upwards horizontally, saying, "A flower on the jianghu path, Heng Lan Yong Ge is one family. All things return to blue, blue returns to water, water floods the five elements and returns to the eight trigrams!"
"May I ask, young brother, which sect do you belong to, and which path do you walk?"
As soon as the white-haired old man uttered the "chun dian," I immediately confirmed his identity in my mind.
If nothing unexpected happened, he should be the renowned Ghost Hand Divine Thief—Yan Ba!
Nowadays, only the older generation of the Eight Sects uses "chun dian" to probe the intentions of other jianghu members when they meet.
This is both a matter of etiquette and a rule.
It's a pity that in this era of rampant materialism, where wealth is praised and poverty is scorned, the word "rule"... has long been shattered by self-interest!
After the millennium, that is, after the year 2000, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that if three or four out of ten people making a living in the jianghu could speak "chun dian," that would be considered very good.
Most people's first reaction to hearing "chun dian" would be: What the hell are these?
Fortunately, Uncle Tuo was the one who introduced me to the blue path. Although he played by his own rules, he was still an old-fashioned jianghu person with outdated ideas.
Therefore, I understood some of the secret jargon related to "Nan Chun Bei Dian."
Not much, just a little!
Alright, I admit, I'm actually just half-baked!
Because I simply couldn't find the time to memorize these awkward "chun dian."
But since Yan Ba asked, I couldn't pretend to be ignorant anymore.
So, I returned his greeting with the same gesture, cupping my fist and said, "You shouldn't call me a young brother!"
"Senior, I walk the Qian Sect, and I belong to the blue path!"
Upon hearing this, Yan Ba immediately smiled.
As the saying goes: A true craftsman reveals their skill with their first move!
My half-baked "chun dian" couldn't fool Yan Ba at all.
As his smile gradually faded, Yan Ba looked at me and asked, "May I ask, young brother, what brings you to my humble abode today?"
As soon as I heard him stop speaking in code, I immediately realized that Yan Ba probably knew I couldn't keep up.
Thinking of this, I cupped my fist and bowed to Yan Ba again, saying, "It's nothing much, really! I came this time to inquire about something from your esteemed disciple!"
Hearing me say this, Leng Meng, who was standing beside me, immediately breathed a sigh of relief, but still said with a cold expression, "We are all people of the jianghu. If you want to inquire about something, you can say it directly. There's no need to follow me all the way, is there?"