Zhang San thought again and decided that other than digging an underground tunnel or making an iron box to hide Wang Xiaoer and the like – completely unrealistic nonsense – the most viable way now to safely escape with Wang Xiaoer was to learn the Heavenly Rank Inner Strength technique.
After the fight with Hei Shanke, Zhang San realized that with his Heavenly Rank Lightness Skill, if he went all out without worrying about consuming inner strength, even someone at the early Heavenly Rank realm like Hei Shanke wouldn’t be able to stop him. Naturally then, even if he brought Wang Xiaoer along, they could easily escape even if surrounded by Jin Wange and the government troops.
But the problem was, without the Heavenly Rank Inner Strength technique, he couldn’t be considered a true master yet. All out White Crane Flies could only be sustained for a short while before his inner strength would be depleted. And that’s not even mentioning having to maintain the Iron Cloth Shirt while protecting Wang Xiaoer at the same time.
If he couldn’t escape before his inner strength ran out, a master without inner strength was just like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
"Master..." Just as Zhang San was lost in thought, Wang Xiaoer walked over from the backyard.
In the lobby of the painting shop, Zhang San frowned and asked, "Why aren't you sleeping yet?"
Wang Xiaoer stood close to the wall and carefully asked, "Master, are we still leaving?"
Zhang San recalled that if Wang Xiaoer hadn't almost made a move that day, he wouldn't have gotten involved with Bai Fang. And now he had offended Lu Gaosheng who seemed even harder to deal with than Hei Shanke.
Thinking of this, Zhang San snapped, "Leave? Leave my ass! Hei Shanke had less than 10 people total including his archers. This time the other side has thousands, plus various Earth Rank masters. You think it'll be so easy to get away once they have their eyes on us?"
Wang Xiaoer asked, "Master, when you say 'have their eyes on us', are you referring to that person who came to the shop this morning? So he turns out to be the Chief Magistrate, the same person from the execution grounds that day. No wonder he could take out precious medicine like 100-year ginseng."
Zhang San's brows furrowed slightly as he asked, "What did you say?"
Wang Xiaoer replied, "It was the night we bought this shop, Master. I went to Bai Xiaoyu's place, remember? I caught a glimpse of that man there. Later Xiaoyu mentioned that he had brought some very precious medicinal ingredients for her mother that night."
Hearing this, Zhang San became more certain of the relationship between Lu Gaosheng and Bai Fang.
Zhang San frowned. Wang Xiaoer also didn't dare disturb his master further and wanted to go back to rest first. But as he was leaving, Wang Xiaoer looked back at his master and asked softly:
"Master...have I become your burden?"
With master's skills, escaping would be easy as pie. Yet now his brows were tightly knitted.
Zhang San instinctively turned his head back. He couldn't see Wang Xiaoer's expression as his head was lowered, but his voice carried traces of self-blame.
After thinking for a while, Zhang San said, "When I had just started going on missions, I was inexperienced. One time I got your late master discovered and surrounded by a bunch of masters. He brought me along as we narrowly escaped with our lives. Back then I had asked your late master a similar question."
Wang Xiaoer silently raised his head and carefully asked, "What...what did master say?"
Zhang San scratched the back of his hand and casually said, "At the time your late master scolded me badly. This is what he said.
'You damn brat, you know you dragged me down, why aren't you quickly going to practice your martial arts! When I'm too old in the future and can't move anymore, you'll have to take filial care of me. And you'll need to add more chicken legs!'"
Wang Xiaoer was stunned.
He had thought it was absurd that late master choked to death on a chicken leg. But now it seems late master truly loved chicken legs.
Then Wang Xiaoer smiled and said, "Oh, Xiaoer understands now."
...
After sending Wang Xiaoer away, Zhang San silently looked at the scroll painting in the hall.
Lu Gaosheng had been looking at these paintings the entire time today.
Zhang San couldn't help but think back to Ming Qing. While both were looking at paintings, compared to the simple-minded Ming Qing, Zhang San vaguely felt that Lu Gaosheng seemed to glean even more from his paintings.
At this time, the more Zhang San thought about it, the more he didn't understand why Lu Gaosheng was so fixed on watching him.
Zhang San started organizing all the information in his brain:
It was obvious Lu Gaosheng and Bai Fang had some relationship.
And from Ming Qing's behavior, Zhang San didn't think Ming Qing had the ability to tame the Twin Wolves.
Also, after the incident with those three thugs, Lu Gaosheng came to his shop to probe the very next day. And the Twin Wolves appeared not far down the street after Lu Gaosheng entered his painting shop today. The one behind the Twin Wolves was likely Lu Gaosheng.
However...
Zhang San immediately thought of one thing.
When he first entered Tian Ruo City, he had heard about the assassination attempt on Lu Gaosheng by the Green Sword Sect.
But since Lu Gaosheng had masters like the Twin Wolves under him, why didn’t he arrange them by his side? Otherwise, with their skills, if the Green Sword Sect members ran into the Twin Wolves on the night of the assassination, they would have at least lost over half or even all been wiped out!
Thinking of this, there were basically only two possibilities.
One, the Twin Wolves were not Lu Gaosheng’s subordinates and he had guessed wrong.
Or two, Lu Gaosheng extremely valued Bai Fang!
Valued her so much that he kept top masters like the Twin Wolves by Bai Fang’s side instead of his own.
Of the two possibilities, Zhang San leaned more towards the latter. And from this point, it seemed that Lu Gaosheng must know Bai Fang very well, perhaps even knowing of her background.
Otherwise, if she really was just a simple tofu shop owner, why would he mobilize masters like the Twin Wolves to protect her?
However, thinking this then brought about new questions.
Just what kind of a relationship did Lu Gaosheng and Bai Fang have?
Since Lu Gaosheng knew or at least had some understanding towards Bai Fang’s background, he should know that associating with someone whose entire family was implicated in treason and should have been executed 20 years ago was not good for his future prospects.
Was it lust?
That made even less sense.
With Lu Gaosheng’s status, whatever woman he wanted would be available to him. Also with Bai Fang’s criminal history, even if Lu Gaosheng forced himself on her, would she dare to resist?
Lastly there was Ming Qing.
This man was simple. It was obvious he knew about Bai Fang's background. And from what Zhang San could tell, Ming Qing had clearly liked Bai Fang for many years. His temperament, while nearing forty years of age, couldn’t be said to be stupid but was definitely not complicated.
He could be described as “pure”, or “honest” – the meaning was similar either way.
After organizing the relationships between people like Ming Qing, Bai Fang, and Lu Gaosheng in his mind, Zhang San returned to the original question.
Why was Lu Gaosheng expending so much effort to keep watch over him, Zhang San?
His own performance should not have had any problems!
Or perhaps...
After careful consideration, Zhang San felt that in this entire matter, he may have been too presumptuous. And if he tried putting himself in Lu Gaosheng’s shoes, he may be able to understand many things. Perhaps in Lu Gaosheng’s eyes, he himself was extremely suspicious:
First was the timing of his entry into the city and purchase of the shop.
After all, outsiders entering the city had to register and pay to buy entry passes. Shop contracts also had to get an official government seal. So in Lu Gaosheng's perspective, a scholar who had just entered the city bought the shop next to Bai Fang's on his second day here.
This type of behavior was sufficient to make Lu Gaosheng wary, or perhaps Lu Gaosheng's investigation into him started from the day he bought the shop.
However, whether it was Lu Gaosheng or the Twin Wolves in the days after he bought the shop, neither of them came or surveilled him.
This also proved that perhaps in the beginning, Lu Gaosheng's wariness only stayed at the initial suspicion stage.
Second was yesterday's incident with those three thugs.
From those surrounding spectators who kept their distance and only watched from afar, you could tell in this era people had become apathetic.
Or perhaps some onlookers enjoyed the drama, but when truly facing the underworld, nobody was willing to stick their neck out.
But was that reason enough to suspect him just because he stepped in?
That was too much of a stretch.
However...the timing of his appearance was questionable.
The timing he chose to show himself was, coincidentally enough, right before the Twin Wolves were about to make their move.
Given Lu Gaosheng’s shrewdness, he likely made more extrapolations based on this point.
Lu Gaosheng was clearly the extremely suspicious type. On top of that, paired with his extraordinary concern towards Bai Fang, even though this was a small doubt, it had surely heightened his suspicion even more.
So with the first two matters combined, things were likely not so simple in Lu Gaosheng's eyes!
Zhang San secretly thought that perhaps in Lu Gaosheng's view, his coming to Tian Ruo City, buying this shop, and even sticking up for Bai Fang yesterday, were all premeditated and arranged.
Lu Gaosheng would even guess that when Zhang San came to Tian Ruo City, he already more or less knew about Bai Fang's background, otherwise why would he do so many things?
But what Zhang San didn't know was that apart from these two things, his painting and the words he said under the bookstore on the first day he entered the city were actually the other two main reasons Lu Gaosheng determined that Zhang San was not an ordinary scholar.
But now Zhang San really knew one thing for sure:
He really missed those silly mountain bandits now, and felt extremely disgusted with smart people!
This Lu Gaosheng really knows how to speculate!
All of this is just a coincidence!
I'm just a simple killer who wanted to come to Tian Ruo City to hide from the Dark Building and Black Heaven Gate, while taking on some missions, killing some people, earning some money, that's all, no other intentions!