The beggar was indeed Jinshui. Three years ago he helped Xu Qiao who was affected by the zixie and zhaobai poisons by transferring the poison into his own body despite the horrible consequences he knew he would have to face. He had to suffer the pain ever since.
That day he left Xu Qiao at the riverside cottage, then followed Huang Yu and helped him bury his parents. Nine days later he began to feel the poison in his body reacted almost every night, causing excruciating pain. He almost ended his own life several times because of the pain. He used the energy given by Moying to resist the poison. The energy kept him alive, but couldn't protect him from physical damage.
His skin changed like someone who had a disgusting disease, his face was ruined, and his body was no longer as athletic as it used to be. He turned to be an obnoxious beggar. After a while his life was no longer in danger, the poison no longer made him feel pain, but his condition was no better than a dead person.
But he didn't regret it at all. Her current condition was to save Xu Qiao, a price he had to pay in order to let a young girl grow into a beautiful woman. He felt very worthy. Until three years later, his love for Xu Qiao was still strong.
Every time he thought of the brief bliss of three years ago, he missed Xu Qiao. He knew where to find that girl and almost went to Huofeng Lou a couple of time. This time, too, he was very close, wanting to sneak into the house and see if his little girl had grown up or not. Only his physical condition reminded him that he was no longer the Hua Jinshui he used to be and he might even scare the girl.
Until when he saw Xu Qiao sitting alone in the wine shop, he couldn't help himself. There was no look of disdain as she held out for him. Jinshui almost called out. But then he could only watch from a distance until that fierce lady from Wansui Gu threatened the life he had saved, he knew he had to step in.
When he helped Xu Qiao to face Zhou Xiangnu he also couldn't hold back. However, until the moment his tongue felt stiff, his current state prevented him from revealing his identity as Hua Jinshui.
"It's because of those zixie du and zhaobai poisons, right?" Xu Qiao didn't let him go. "If at that time you did not transfer it into your own body, then today the one who is standing here as an ugly sick beggar is not you, but me!"
"Qiao-er…."
Jinshui touched her face, wiping away her tears. At this point, he couldn't hide his identity anymore. The little girl he loved had turned into a beautiful young lady, perfect as he wanted her to be. His sacrifices had not been in vain.
"You are okay," he spoke in trembled voice. "You... really are fine."
"I'm not fine!" Xu Qiao cried. "My parents were killed, my sisters are dead, Xie-shu is also dead, everything I love was gone. You're not by my side either, I'm not good at all."
Jinshui didn't have a second thought, and immediately hugged her tightly. He struggled to hold back tears because tears for a man were taboo. However, the feeling had overcome all taboos. True, although he could restore Xu Qiao to a perfectly beautiful young girl, he had already left a void for three years. During this time he had not thought much if his little girl missed him, and he could never be by her side.
"Qiao-er…."
"Jinshui Gege, please don't leave me again. I'm begging you. You come with me to Huofeng Lou, will you? I'll find a way to help you from the poison."
Jinshui remembered that Bao Xinfei was in Huofeng Lou. Bao Xinfei might not say anything if her stepdaughter was in love with a rotten beggar, but she would definitely be against it to the death if Xu Qiao befriended the primary descendant of Yumen Sect. He'd been waiting for three years, apparently still can't avoid fate.
They let go of each other's arms. Jinshui stroked Xu Qiao's hair, and kissed her forehead gently.
"You are not afraid to see me?" he asked.
Xu Qiao shook his head. "You became like this to save me. What am I if I'm afraid to see you?"
"You don't change at all," Jinshui spoke in a weird tone.
"What?"
"You really are a girl who doesn't know anything."
As these words ended, Jinshui immediately turned around, jumped into the river, threw himself, and swam swiftly across. Xu Qiao didn't have time to get in the way.
"Jinshui Gege! Jinshui Gege!"
Xu Qiao didn't have time to think, didn't even know how deep the river was, she immediately jumped in, trying to catch up. Jinshui didn't expect this, moreover did not expect that Xu Qiao couldn't swim at all. She was taken by the current instantly.
"Jinshui Gege, help…."
Jinshui heard her voice, he stopped in the middle of the stream and was very confused. The current of the river was quite swift, Xu Qiao's body was immediately dragged far away, and Jinshui felt half his soul was lost.
This girl was really desperate. She had drunk a lot of water and was starting to drown. Jinshui couldn't just let her go. He immediately turned around, rushing towards Xu Qiao. Her small body had disappeared into the water current. Jinshui quickly dived, swimming in the river to catch up with her. He panicked when he couldn't find the one he was looking for.
The weather was changing fast. The sky that had just cleared suddenly rained down, soft dots that became torrential rapidly. The sound of thunder echoed as if the sky was shaking too. The roar of the wind sounded loud, the river water was turbulent because of it.
Jinshui came out of the water and walked ashore while carrying Xu Qiao who had not moved at all. The little body was placed on the grass by the river, and the water that had entered was pumped out by pressing on the stomach. Jinshui panicked. When Xu Qiao didn't react, he was really scared.
"Qiao-er, please wake up, don't scare me."
He breathed into her tiny lips, he couldn't feel the warmth coming from her body. Jinshui did not give up. He kept trying to pump out the swallowed river water, trying to force his little girl to breathe again.
"Qiao-erl.... Qiao-er, wake up...."
Heaven was still kind to him. Xu Qiao was still alive, not long after she vomited water from her mouth, coughing, slowly opening her eyes. Jinshui's intention to leave her had completely disappeared.
"Jinshui Gege…."
"Don't say anything. I don't want you to catch a cold."
"I don't care. You have to promise me, you cannot leave me again."
Jinshui noded once. "I promise."
--
They found an abandoned temple, quite far from the river bank. Jinshui piled up the dry grass and let Xu Qiao sit on it. He also collected some dry wood and lit a fire. It was raining very hard outside, and both of them were soaking wet. Xu Qiao sneezed a few times.
A big fire was lit. Jinshui sat by Xu Qiao's side, letting the warmth of the fireplace dry her clothes and prevent the cold.
"Who is that Zhou Xiangnu?" Xu Qiao suddenly asked him. She didn't want to fall asleep because she was worried that when she woke up Jinshui was gone again. "The fighting techniques she uses are from Wansui Gu, she also has honglongchen. Her surname is Zhou, is she that Zuodu Zhou's daughter?"
"Baisui Zuodu Zhou Sangong?" Jinshui knew more. "Yes. Zhou Xiangnu is his daughter. It is said that Zhou Sangong has two daughters, but the one who often wanders in the martial world is only his first daughter. The second daughter I think is very young, never left Wansui Gu."
Xu Qiao felt sleepy. Her clothes were wet and cold, the great fire couldn't dry them in a short time, for now, it couldn't even give off a feeling of warmth. She sneezed a few more times. Her face was pale. She threw herself into a cold river and almost drown, then it was raining at the same time. It wasn't like she had enough training to deal with the situation.
Jinshui was about to help her with his inner energy. But he remembered his condition, he had poison in every cell of his blood. Transferring his inner energy to Xu Qiao might risk transmitting the poison as well. Three years ago he had painstakingly freed Xu Qiao from the poison, he wouldn't repeat the same mistake. Now he could only add wood to the fireplace, remove the water from Xu Qiao's clothes, and hold her hand.
"How did you come to this town?" he asked Xu Qiao. "Did Bao Xinfei know you leave home again?"
"I did tell her, erniang has no reason to follow me here," replied Xu Qiao. The way she called Bao Xinfei erniang or stepmother, Jinshui can tell their relationship had improved compared to three years ago.
"I know what happened three years ago," Jinshui said, then told her how three years ago he had intruded into Huofeng Lou and saw the seven coffins of the Xu Family members and bodies of their servants, a total of thirty-five victims of the massacre.
"My father did asked sanshixiong and sishixiong to the headquarters of Jianyin Bang to meet Zhulin Shen Jian Zhong Shaoyan, Zhong Bangzhu, and invited him to our Huofeng Lou," Xu Qiao said, "it was the people of Jianyin Bang who found my father's body and the others, when I and erniang came, we didn't see the frightening scene of the murder. That day I lost consciousness, until a few days I could only hide in the room, so you didn't see me."
"Only you, Bao Xinfei, and your father's four disciples are left in Huofeng Lou, will Bao Xinfei then take you to Haitang Jian Pai?" Jinshui asked, not wanting Xu Qiao to remember more of what happened three years ago.
"At first she wanted to take me to Wenhu District so I could study in Haitang Jian Pai, but then it didn't happen, and we stayed at Huofeng Lou," Xu Qiao said. "Erniang knows I've met the descendant of Yumen Jiao and learned some fighting techniques from you. I also have a trace of wuqing xue energy inside me. You can guess what will happen if erniang takes me to Yuan Wancui."
"That rotten lady Yuan Wancui will force you to tell my whereabouts, force you to tell her everything you know about the other descendants," said Jinshui.
"Even worse, if I had entered her sect, she would have a reason to take action to a Haitang Jian Pai's student who learned the arts from the demon sect," said Xu Qiao. "Erniang didn't want this to happen to me, so for the past three years, we stayed in Huofeng Lou."
"Three years ago I shouldn't have left you," Jinshui said regretfully. "Should have listened to Laofeng's words, for three years continuously helping you controlling poison with profound energy. I wronged you, my current situation is karma, in order to pay for all my mistakes I didn't take good care of you in the most difficult times."
"Yeah," said Xu Qiao, "you need to be punished." She sneezed three times. "Jinshui Gege, where have you been the last three years?"
"I took Laofeng's advice, visited Lao Duxie Zeng Baifeng in Wansui Gu to ask for the antidote," said Jinshui, "but when I got there, I met his second disciple who poisoned you that time."
"Chou Sangong," Xu Qiao replaced the Zhou in Zhou Sangong with Chou, meaning rotten.
"He seemed displeased, then ordered all his men out to kill me," Jinshui said. "I fought them. The Wansui Gu poison masters' martial arts are actually not that great, only their ability to poison people who are said to be number one in the world. But I've been poisoned, of course, I'm not afraid to add one or two more poisons."
"What happened then?" Xu Qiao's voice grew weaker.
"I used xuanlong jian and managed to get them to scatter. But then the poison in my body reacted. Of course, I don't want to get caught by them. Had to spare them." Obviously, he had killed many of Zhou Sangong's followers but didn't want to mention the murder in front of Xu Qiao. "A few days later, I tried to infiltrate Wansui Gu, going to meet Zhou Sangong's master in person in the hope that he has more heart than his disciple."
"How could it be?" Xu Qiao asked. "Zeng Baifeng already killed Liangtian Jian Shen who was injured at the time, betraying a friend in a sly way. You meet him, it's the same as meeting someone who is more toxic than his disciple."
"I couldn't even find him," Jinshui said. "At that time I caught a servant for questioning, but the servant was confused. As if in Wansui Gu there is no Lao Duxie Zeng Baifeng. I asked about Zhou Sangong's master, and the servant said that Zhou Sangong had no master."
"Zeng Baifeng hasn't taken care of Wansui Gu for a long time," Xu Qiao replied, "maybe the servant you caught was a new person who didn't get to know him."
"There was no hope in Wansui Gu, so I left," Jinshui said. "For a year I tried to deal with the poison on my own, then we tried to find the other descendants. But we don't know where to start. We can only leave a trail so that they will find us. Then we were about to head to Luoyang, but got here first."
"Who's we?" asked Xu Qiao.
"Me and Huang Yu, the descendant of Chailang Shishu."
Some ashes from the fireplace splashed a little, hitting the hem of Jinshui's shirt but not burning it. On the edge of the fireplace, Jinshui found a chess piece, he knew who splashed the ashes just now.
The rain had stopped, Huang Yu stepped into the temple room only a minute after. His figure was already taller than three years ago, his face was also more mature. Jinshui let go of Xu Qiao's hand unwillingly.
"Huang Erge," Xu Qiao called.
"Heroes won't be able to escape beautiful women," Huang Yu spoke in his usual tone. "Hua Jinshui, for the sake of this girl you have sacrificed a lot, is it still not enough?"
"I knew you would find me." Jinshui didn't want to answer his question.
"I knew you would find her," Huang Yu said, "Three years of suffering didn't turn you into what I expected. Our Miss Xu actually has such great power."
Jinshui didn't reply to his words. He didn't forget his current condition, a sick beggar who could only frighten people, neither had the ability to protect Xu Qiao nor deserved to be with her.
"Don't forget, Xu Guniang is the only surviving daughter of the Xu Family of Huofeng Lou, and in the last three years has been raised by Xuehua Zhishou Bao Xinfei who hates us so much," Huang Yu reminded. "Are you sure, she can choose to join us?"
"I have no plans to join your Yumen," Xu Qiao replied. "But Jinshui Gege is a good friend of mine, I also owe him my life. My father taught me, that if I owe someone something, I have to pay it."
"Xu Guniang plans to return the favor in what way?" Huang Yu asked.
Xu Qiao glanced at Jinshui. "I haven't really thought about it," she said innocently, "but I won't leave at least until Jinshui Gege returns to his original state, completely free from the two poisons of zixie and zhaobai."
Huang Yu smiled mysteriously. "I met Xiaoshan and Xiaohu in Luoyang a few days ago, they have news about some of our brothers," he said again. "We can go meet them now, maybe meeting them will help you get rid of the remaining poison and bring you back to the way you were before."
Jinshui stood up, reached out to Xu Qiao, and held her. He had also promised not to leave without saying goodbye, and he didn't want to deny the words that have been said.
"She'll come with us," he said to Huang Yu, "three years ago weren't you also there to give me the chance to take her with us."
"Three years ago you weren't like this," said Huang Yu. "Well, you can take anyone you want, but I can't guarantee that your girl will still be willing to come with you after seeing what the Yumen descendants really are."
"I almost forgot, you have energy given by Chailang Shishu." Jinshui suddenly said.
"What do you mean?" Huang Yu asked. "You want me to help her?" He pointed at Xu Qiao.
"Just give her some pure energy to make sure she is strong enough to join us in meeting the next descendant."
Huang Yu didn't look too happy, but then he took out some pills from his pocket and gave it to Jinshui, asking Jinshui to give it to Xu Qiao using a hand gesture. Jinshui accepted the pills and handed one to Xu Qiao. Xu Qiao hesitated for a while, but then swallowed the pill.
"Huang Erge, your sister is in our Huofeng Lou," Xu Qiao said to Huang Yu after. "The people of Jianyin Bang told us what happened to your parents three years ago. It seems that we have a common enemy."
"Xu Guniang, do you know anything about the culprit?" Huang Yu asked.
"I asked erniang to let me go to Jianyin Bang's headquarters in Wuzhang City to talk about what happened three years ago with Han Budian, Han Dage, but actually I plan to go to Luoyang looking for you, also looking for Jinshui Gege," Xu Qiao said honestly, "I want to hear what you say about the killer."
"I spent the past three years trying to save your Jinshui Gege from losing his life," Huang Yu said, "I have no clue about this matter. Over the past three years, it seemed that news of Liangtian Jian Shen's relics, or an inheritance, had all but vanished as if they never existed. The deaths of my parents, as well as your Xu Family members, seem to have been forgotten as well."
"It's not like that," Xu Qiao said, "it's just that because the white fan is already hidden away, no one is looking for it anymore."
As she said, she subconsciously looked at herself, accidentally telling Jinshui and Huang Yu that she was keeping something inside her pocket, something that was very precious to the two young descendants of Yumen.
"Xu Guniang, I don't want to talk that matter about right now," Huang Yu said. "The time has come, they should have arrived, we can go meet them now."
They left the ruined temple, heading for a farmer's village only a mile away. Huang Yu went straight to a small hut made of bamboo and met two women who looked like country girls waiting in the courtyard of the hut. Between the two was a bamboo cage, and inside the cage were two young men whose faces looked bruised as if they had been beaten harshly.
Xu Qiao recognized the two village women as Xiaoshan and Xiaohu, the two servants Huang Yu brought to help her three years ago. The two of them seemed to have been waiting for Huang Yu's arrival after catching those two men in the cage. Xu Qiao didn't know why the two servants kept the prisoners.
The two men in the cage were still young, one was a teenage boy, and the other was in his twenties. Their clothes were made of rough material, their skin was dark, and their faces looked pitiful like two thieves who had just been caught in the market and beaten up. Xu Qiao pulled Jinshui's hand.
"Shaoye," Xiaohu nodded her head once to Huang Yu. "They were the two servants in the house of Wang Daren, an official in Wuzhang City. We caught them stealing some jewelry and brought them here"
Huang Yu looked at the two trusted servants. Xiaoshan and Xiaohu were two girls taken by his father Huang Weiqun who were later raised and trained at Hailang Biaoju headquarters. They not only know how to cook and wash clothes but also various other skills, including finding people. Catching two reckless thieves didn't seem like their job.
"You two are not mute," Xu Qiao commented.
"They know where Lin Shaoye is," Xiaoshan continued her sister's words before Huang Yu asked. "Speak quickly," she said to the two men in the cage.
"By Lin Shaoye do you mean Lin Jixuan? Lin Tongtian's son, Lin Daye from Wuling City?" asked Huang Yu. "Wuling City is far from this place, is Lin Jixuan around here?"
Lin Jixuan. This name was familiar to Jinshui. The descendant of Xiezhang, the naughty little boy in Xuanwu Lake ten years ago, bullied the descendant of Huling and engaged in fight with the descendant of Menggui.
"Right, it's him," The person in the cage, the younger one immediately replied, "That Lin Shaoye is reportedly about to be betrothed to our Wang Daren's daughter. His father had sent his proposal all the way from Wuling City, but for some reason, Lin Shaoye later appeared alone at Wang Daren's residence. Even though this marriage matters was his, he should just wait well at home and the bride will be picked up there."
"Ah," Huang Yu looked at them with a probing gaze. Who knew what kind of trouble Lin Jixuan's going to create?
"Lin Shaoye has been staying at Wang Daren's residence for half a month, and of course, he has already met his daughter Wang Daren who will be betrothed to him," the person continued. "Wang Daren chef, Laoshi, said that this Lin Shaoye is a smart young man good at pleasing everyone. Wang Xiaojie (Miss Wang) fell in love with that young master and was not too shy to admit it."
Huang Yu raised his eyebrows. It seemed that Lin Jixuan didn't like to make a girl like him when he was a boy.
"But that day Lin Shaoye suddenly disappeared with Wang Xiaojie," the person continued, "Wang Daren panicked, thinking they were kidnapped by criminals. So the whole city was made busy looking for those two. Two days they couldn't be found, suddenly the bouncer of Cuihua brothel brought Wang Xiaojie home."
"These two used this opportunity to steal the master's belongings," Xiaoshan said to Huang Yu, pointed at the men in the cage.
"Wang Xiaojie is still a lady," The other person in the other cage quickly corrected. It seems that even though he is a thief, he considered Miss Wang as a very respectful lady and didn't want people to think her good name had been tarnished. "She was found unconscious in the warehouse behind the brothel and immediately brought home because the employer didn't want to get into trouble with the Wang Family."
"It's not that they don't want to get into trouble with the Wang Family," his friend said again, "but because of that Miss Wang..."
"What?" Huang Yu subconsciously asked as well. "Then where is Lin Jixuan?"
"Regarding Lin Shaoye, no one knew. But Wang Xiaojie can become a nun like that, it's definitely his job."
"What do you mean she became a nun?" asked Huang Yu.
"Wang Xiaojie's honor is still maintained, but her hair has been shaved off. She said it was Lin Shaoye who did that to her."
Lin Jixuan didn't seem to have changed one bit, in fact, it was getting worse. His father had gone far to find a mate, so before he had the chance to work on the marriage, Lin Jixuan took the lead. He went to see Miss Wang, got her to know him well first, then kidnapped her and shaved her hair.
Girls might forget about honor once they met someone attractive. Lin Jixuan knew this well. He also knew Miss Wang cared about appearances and loved her hair more than her life. This kind of bully will automatically make this girl lose hope, be embarrassed, annoyed, and hate him forever. In addition, Lin Jixuan sent the lady home through a brothel, and automatically the matchmaking would be canceled, and even Lin Tongtian would later be powerless to calm the anger of the Wang Family.
"What happened to Wang Xiaojie immediately became the rumor in the city, many condemned Lin Shaoye's behavior," continued the first thief again. "Then rumors also got out that Lin Shaoye is already famous for playing pranks on girls, especially those to set up with him. His father found him a girl in a faraway place because in Wuling City no one dared to match their daughter with him anymore."
"So Lin Jixuan is still around this place?" Huang Yu asked again. He didn't want to hear more about the bad reputation of the childhood friend.
"He's here," Jinshui said.