Indeed, stories that are a mixture of truth and falsehood are the ones that most easily attract and move people.
It seems that Leng Shuang must have taken it upon herself to add some genuine memories to that story in order to keep me.
Except she didn't adopt her own perspective, but rather Leng Meng's.
Leng Shuang told me her story from an observer's point of view.
No wonder she showed a hint of abnormality towards me after that story ended; so that's what it was all about!
Since Leng Shuang is indeed a rebellious disciple in reality, and has already been expelled from the sect by Yan Ba, my plan... might be in vain!
After successfully resolving the dilemma, my original intention was to use the fact that Leng Shuang had set a trap for me to ask Yan Ba for a favor.
After all, a teacher is responsible for the misconduct of his disciples!
Moreover, I couldn't have come all this way for nothing, right?
If I could use the previous losses to get a favor from the ghost-handed divine thief Yan Ba, I would definitely be making a profit without even thinking about it.
I recall Uncle Tuo once saying that if one were to solely compare hand skills, Yan Ba's ranking and status in the Rong Sect might be similar to Uncle Tuo's in the Qian Sect, but...
If one were to compare reputation alone, then Yan Ba would basically be far ahead, leading the pack!
To have such a prominent figure owe a debt of favor is invaluable.
Perhaps, it could be of great use at a critical moment!
But now, Yan Ba had shattered my little plan with just one sentence.
As I was lost in thought, I suddenly heard Yan Ba say in a solemn tone, "Although I have no connection with that rebellious disciple anymore, and she has deceived me and Xiao Meng once again! However..."
"Xiao Meng, since you said before that the elder sister is like a mother, then you should apologize to this young brother on behalf of that rebellious disciple!"
Upon hearing this, Leng Meng immediately turned to face me and was about to bow in apology.
Seeing this, I was instantly startled and quickly reached out to stop her, saying, "No need, no need! It's not a big deal anyway, so... let's just forget about it!"
To be honest, even though the current Leng Meng and Leng Shuang, who was far away in Anhai, were sisters with completely opposite personalities, just looking at the former's face would involuntarily remind me of everything that had happened before.
Women, oh women!
I'm scared, I'm scared! I'm running, I'm running!
Since I couldn't get a favor from Yan Ba, there was no need to stay any longer.
With that in mind, after saying a few polite words, I found an excuse and decisively took Cheng Minglang and Xianyu and left.
Before leaving, I wrote down Leng Shuang's phone number and detailed address for Leng Meng without reservation.
The latter was extremely grateful, wishing she could kneel down and kowtow to me on the spot.
I accepted Leng Meng's verbal thanks, but I did not accept the thanks that carried strong, excessive actions.
The reason for doing so was not due to any excessive sympathy, but because I wanted to leave a good impression on Yan Ba.
A single tree cannot form a forest.
How many people who dabble in the underworld and fringe professions end up well by going it alone?
Although with Yan Ba's status and position, it was highly unlikely he would condescend to join me, however...
Leaving him a good impression would always be beneficial.
After all, as long as one is in the Jianghu, there are no times of perpetual glory and splendor.
Situations like getting one's shoes wet by the river or a horse stumbling are unavoidable.
What if one day, when I fall into hardship, he remembers my past kindness and lends me a hand?
Having more friends means more paths; this saying has been passed down to this day for a reason.
Moreover, no matter what, Leng Shuang was a disciple of the Rong Sect who had come out from under Yan Ba.
As the old saying goes: The deeper the love, the harsher the criticism.
If Yan Ba truly disliked Leng Shuang, there would be no need for him to teach her his skills, nor would there be any reason to consider Leng Meng's feelings.
Therefore, I infer that Yan Ba likely still cared about his rebellious disciple, Leng Shuang.
It's just that the older generation of the Eight Sects are very pedantic and stubborn in their thinking.
To put it bluntly, they value "face" far more than their own lives!
...
On the way back to Wen Zhou after lunch, Xianyu was fine, looking sleepy and dozing with his head leaning against the window.
As for Han Jinlun, he was full of energy.
While driving, Han Jinlun's questions kept pouring out of his mouth, one after another.
The question he asked me the most was whether Leng Meng and her twin sister Leng Shuang really looked exactly alike.
I initially thought he was purely curious, but after I gave him my answer, he actually said, "Great! Twin sisters, that's great! Hehehe~"
"They say a sister-in-law is half a lover to her brother-in-law! If I could win over Leng Meng..."
"Sister on Monday, Wednesday, Friday; sister on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday! Weekends, I'll have one king and two queens, sleeping together in a big bed!"
"Exciting! Just thinking about it is f***ing exciting!"
Upon hearing this, I was instantly speechless.
As expected of the man known as a walking, constantly moving human pile driver!
As soon as he had free time, Han Jinlun's mind would start thinking about all sorts of women.
Because of the arduous journey the previous night and waking up particularly early in the morning, I didn't bother with Han Jinlun anymore. Instead, I leaned back in the passenger seat, closed my eyes, and rested...
Around a little past four in the afternoon, the three of us finally arrived back in Wen Zhou and reached the meeting point that Cheng Minglang and I had previously agreed upon.
With the expansion of the team and Xu Peiyu being a female general, I didn't choose a hotel or inn as the meeting place this time.
Instead, I had Cheng Minglang rent two houses in the suburbs, about ten kilometers away from Ruichi.
Except for Xianyu, who was a local to Wen Zhou, I, Cheng Minglang, and Han Jinlun would share one room, and Xu Peiyu would have her own room.
Although the overall environment and conditions of the two rooms were not very good, they were advantageous in their seclusion and quietness.
Upon returning, I found that neither Cheng Minglang nor Xu Peiyu were in the rooms.
At the time, I didn't pay much attention.
After all, they weren't slaves whose freedom was restricted, unable to go anywhere without my permission.
Moreover, it was still afternoon; perhaps they had gone out shopping or for provisions?
In my opinion, as long as the reliable Cheng Minglang was present, no major problems would arise.
Therefore, I didn't think much of it and didn't call Cheng Minglang or Xu Peiyu.
After returning, I only did one thing.
That was: take a shower!
About ten minutes later.
After showering and coming out, I discovered that Han Jinlun and Xianyu had disappeared somewhere again.
While I was getting dressed, I suddenly heard someone knocking on the door from outside.